Two Worlds, One War
by Formosa
Summary: Harry disappears a little before his sixth year, returning before his seventh as an Entari, a Dark Elf. Will the Elves and Humans put aside their differences and work together to end the war? A few side romances. Please don't read this. Discontinued.
1. Chapter I

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Harry Potter characters, _but_ I do own the OCs and the plot! Okay, on with the story!

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**Note_:_** All of the chapters of this story are edited occasionally, and updated every few weeks, if I have the time. I'm sort of ashamed of the beginning. It is rather… clichéd. I ask you to bare with the first few chapters and to somehow keep your disgust at a short level. My writing skills are still developing and I ask that you be a little lenient for the beginning. My thanks in advanced. – _Jeni Black_

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Chapter 1

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"Oh dear Merlin!" Molly Weasley squealed. She threw the paper down on the table and kept on rereading it, starting to sob frantically, repeating 'no' over and over again and shaking her head, blinking rapidly. Just then, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger slipped into the room in curiosity, wondering what the elder Weasley was making such noise about. Hermione, ever the information-hungry girl, grabbed the Muggle newspaper and began reading to herself. She was scanning the article quickly, and muttering out certain clippings from the newspaper, her voice growing in alarm with each word she read.

"Body discovered bloody... Vernon Dursley... disappeared out of thin air... nowhere to be found... green eyes, black hair... Oh no… no, no, no, no!" Hermione said in rapid succession, shaking her head in denial. Tears started forming in her eyes and she sat down slowly, rereading the article repeatedly in disbelief. Ron grabbed the Muggle newspaper from her hands and began reading as well. He glanced at the slumped forms of one of his best friends and mother and shifted his gaze to the object in his hand. His eyes darted back and forth from the paper as he read quickly, taking in the information. Hermione began to cry hysterically next to him, rambling on and on about how unlikely that was Harry, although it was near impossible it wasn't.

"Harry's disappeared... near death," he muttered to himself disbelievingly. Harry was stronger than that. He couldn't be kidnapped by Death Eaters, could he? He buried his head in his hands and a single tear escaped, however much he had tried to refrain it from coming. First it was Sirius, then Harry. Although he was not as close to Sirius as he was to his best friend, he still mourned the death of Harry's godfather. The pain of losing his best friend was just too much. There were too many deaths around him that it was starting to overwhelm him. The rest of the Weasley clan filed in one by one, curious to see what the commotion in the kitchen was all about.

"Ronniekins, why are you crying?" Fred asked, oblivious to the horrible news the three had read. Ron ignored the insult pointedly and held out the newspaper, shaking his head in denial. Fred took it hesitantly. The paper was flipped to a page somewhere in the middle and was moist at some parts. Fred read the article that seemed to be the one they were reading earlier aloud for all to hear, his eyebrows creased in thought.

"'_On July 31st, at 3:37 PM, a body was discovered at Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. The body was discovered bloody, and much damage was done to the bones. The body was taken to the hospital to be treated. The family living in the house confirmed, rather reluctantly as observed, it had been a man named Vernon Dursley who had done the damage. Mr. Dursley was taken away to prison, where he awaits trial for child abuse. Charges have yet to be made against him._

_The body belonged to a rather young boy. As of now, his information has yet to be released to the public._

_While at the hospital though, the boy woke with a start and disappeared out of thin air. Miss Geraldine Avon was the nurse watching over him at the time. She was checking up on him and had left the room when he suddenly disappeared out of thin air sometime around 5:56 PM. Not a trace of him was left behind, and he was nowhere to be found in the hospital. His description includes green eyes, black hair, and a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. If anyone has any information on the missing boy, contact the Surrey Hospital immediately at 555-1234_.'"

The other Weasleys all gathered around the table, heads bent in respect and sadness, and Ginny trying to deny the fact under her breath.

"He was a good young man," Bill muttered, staring at his hands regretfully. He had never gotten to know Harry all that well, and was guilty of not doing so while he was around.

"On his birthday too, the poor chap," Charlie murmured. He had also not been able to get to know the teenager very well because of his work. Hermione looked around at everybody and wiped the tears she didn't know escaped.

"He's not dead," Hermione said quietly, but firmly. "I just know it! He's much stronger than that! He would've fought tooth and nail to get away!"

"Even so, 'Mione, that doesn't change the fact that he's gone," George snapped back at her.

"We need to contact Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley suggested strongly, his face an unusual stony mask. "Dumbledore probably already knows, but we need to know what he's going to do about it."

As it turned out, Dumbledore did know. He had sent out a search party that lasted for a few weeks before they finally quit, turning to more important events. The Weasleys were outraged, but Dumbledore gave a calm explanation. "I've been in contact with dear friends of mine who knows where he is and is going to do their best to protect him. You need not worry. He is safe, as far as we know. We have to continue our effort towards ending the war instead of searching for one boy, although he may be important." The Weasleys reluctantly agreed with him, as he had a point.

One night, Ginny curled up in her bedspread, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. She gave a grieved sigh and turned to her side, looking out her window. "Harry, wherever you are, give us a sign. Come back soon," she whispered, her eyes slipping shut. Unknown to her, a soft breeze blew slightly and a small ember started on her previously unlit candle and then went out. No sign of the flame ever appearing was visible to the naked eye, and Ginny's creased forehead finally relaxed in her sleep.

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**A Little Over a Year Later**

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Three figures stood in the shadows, slowly moving from one to another. "Why are we here?" said a one of the figures, a male. All of them were shrouded in shadows, yet you could make out their regal and graceful figures if you looked hard enough.

"We have business to conduct with these people," one of the other figures said, a definite feminine tone in her voice. They moved on down the road. They passed a street sign. **Grimmauld Place**, it read.

"Yes...and I wish to see what they have been doing these past… year and a few weeks, is it?" said the last figure, a masculine tone to his voice. They finally stepped out of the shadows. The first figure was a tall one, at the height of 5'11. He had black hair that went a little past his shoulders and blue eyes. The female was tall as well, though several inches shorter. She had black hair that went down to her waist and striking emerald eyes. The last was taller than the female, perhaps by no more than five centimeters. He, like the first figure, had a well toned body, gained from constant activity, though not bulky with muscles. He seemed to be a twin of the female, for he too had black hair and emerald eyes. His hair was not as long and went down just past his shoulders, tied with a black band at the base of his neck. All – bar the female – were wearing long black cloaks. The female was wearing a pure white cloak. A little shimmer was following them, which were concealing swords, arrows, a bow, and many other weapons. They were all unusually pale and had elegance and grace that nobody could miss. They all had a powerful aura, another that nobody could miss, even non-magical folk.

"Princess Aurenia… Aure…" the first figure consulted the female, "who is currently ruling the Ayras if your presence is not there in Atlantis?"

"Ah, 'tis Arwyse there," Aure answered. "Arwyse is a noble Ayra. She would never betray her power. She has enough responsibility in herself to rule the kingdom, but simply does not wish to."

"Arwy is an odd girl, Aure," her twin commented. Aure scowled at him heavily. "She is much too hyperactive. 'Tis gets very irksome after many a while." Aure smirked, and slapped him on the back of his head. He pushed her lightly and she nearly toppled over the first figure.

"My apologies, Elsar!" Aure said hurriedly. Elsar shook his head at their antics.

"You must have some carefulness around your godfather," Elsar warned. "I am not quite _young_ anymore, Ember."

"Eh? One never expected you of all to say such words!" Ember said in mock horror, dramatically placing the back of his hand on his forehead. "The end must be nearing!" Elsar glared at him, but eventually started chuckling with Aure.

"But Ember, Elsar has been living with the Entaris for nearly fifteen years!" Aure protested after she finished laughing.

"Ah. Yes, well, I have been there for twenty-two!" Ember shot back. Elsar rolled his eyes at both of them. "My age in 'tis young world would be seventeen and in our world thirty-nine, yet in _experience_, I am _much_ older than _both_ of you."

"We're here," Elsar informed them as they reached a gap between Number 11 and Number 13 Grimmauld Place. "One who knows me very well would never think that I would ever come back to such a place – and _willingly_!" Ember and Aure gave him an encouraging smile as they chanted the phrase _'The Order of the Phoenix Headquarters is located in Number 12 Grimmauld Place' _mentally. Each of them put their hoods up. The three of them prepared for the interrogation that they knew was going to come. The door slid open, revealing a nervous Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley gave a squeal and yelled for her husband the other Order members immediately, waking the portrait of Mrs. Black. Elsar, Ember, and Aure flinched at the shrieks. Finally, Ember grew tired of it and gave the portrait a glare. It shut up immediately, to the curiosity of the Order members.

"We wish to see Professor Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts, Madame Weasley," Elsar said, disguising his voice. Aure waved a hand and a small translucent globe engulfed the house and the three of them outside. It had swirls as a design, and an occasional rose entered the design. It was very beautiful, although it was not _supposed_ to be that way…

"Aure, one would think from your careless mood that 'tis amuses you," Ember remarked, also disguising his voice, playing along with the plan they had made, going along in a flippant and careless attitude.

"That would be because it _does_," Aure answered. "Why, is it not supposed to be amuse me?" Ember raised his eyebrow, as if saying '_What do you think?'_

"Who are you?" barked 'Mad-Eye' Moody. Aure mentally cheered the man on. He was straight to the point and never dawdled. He would have made a great Lord… Ember warned her that Moody would act like such.

"'Tis best if we step out into the yard, Monsieur Moody," Elsar suggested, as part of the plan. He, Ember, and Aure stepped back into the grass to show their point.

"We're not stupid," shouted Bill Weasley from somewhere near the middle of the group. The group had apparently huddled closely together, blocking the door, as his voice was muffled. _'We're not stupid,'_ Aure thought in her head. _'Tch. Then you would know not to block the door like so. If we knock the one in front back, all of you would fall easily.'_

"Nor are we, but 'tis the best way to keep your house intact, Monsieur Weasley," Aure remarked. The Order members seemed to regard this, and shouted another question.

"The Muggles will see us, won't they?" yelled Charlie Weasley.

"'Tis why I conjured a ward, Monsieur Weasley," answered Aure. Finally convinced that no one would see them, and that they couldn't afford the Black House to be destroyed, the Order members stepped outside. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville, who had come that summer by request, looked on from the windows.

"Now, answer us: _Who are you_?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Prince Ember of Eirith, Prince of the Entari Elves and her twin brother," Ember said, putting his arm around Aure.

"Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, Princess of the Ayra Elves and his twin sister," said Aurenia, smiling up at Ember.

"House elves?" came from somewhere in the tightly clumped group. Ember and Elsar snickered while Aurenia shook her head in an amused way.

"No, most definitely not," Aurenia replied, her shoulders shaking from the idea. "Or else we'd be three feet shorter than everybody in here, no offense meant for the house elves."

"Aure…" Ember said in a warning tone. That question was not expected, and they needed to be on time to get back inside. Aurenia backed down slightly, her hands up in the air in a defeated manner. The Order was curious to what Ember was warning about. The slight jab at house elves didn't affect him _that_ much, did it?

"Lord Elsar of Eirith, the Prince's godfather and counselor, and their 'babysitter'," finished Elsar, jutting each thumb towards Aure and Ember. Though no one could see it, Ember and Aure rolled their eyes at Elsar.

"Why will you not take your hoods down?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows at them. Aure opened her mouth to speak.

"That is not a question to be answered at the moment," Ember cut off before Aure could answer. "Albus Dumbledore will know if you could bring him to us."

"How do we know you're not Death Eaters in disguise?" Moody asked suspiciously.

"Death Eaters are brainless," Elsar remarked. Ember and Aure chuckled at the jester-like attitude they had planned Elsar to make and the Order members cracked small smiles.

"If Death Eaters had somehow acquired brains, then they would realize 'tis not a good thing to be with a Dark Lord who wages war with the elves," Ember added. Everyone turned to him, thinking to themselves about what he had just said. It was rather confusing.

"They are attacking your world too?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes, but Voldemort," Ember was pleased that none flinched at the name, "is not wise in doing so. We Entaris are decidedly neutral towards siding, but we are not afraid to use the 'Dark Arts' to fight those who have wronged us."

"So you are Dark," Remus muttered.

"They are, but there is a difference between Dark and Evil," Aure commented.

"Evil means that we are willing to harm innocents who have done them no wrong, but Dark simply means that we use 'Dark Magic' to accomplish what we need be," Ember explained. "We do not attack innocents unless they have harmed another innocent. Entaris are simply Dark. We are also usually male, but there have been a few female Entaris in history."

"We Ayras are also sided with the Light, but we are not comfortable with using Dark Magic," Aure continued. "We are more of the stereotypical type of elves who are pure Light. We are mostly female, but there are a few male Ayras in our society right now."

"Now that _that_ is done, we must speak to Albus Dumbledore immediately," Elsar finished.

"Is it an emergency?" Moody asked. "Can't it wait for another day?"

"'Tis but a conversation discussing alliances, am I correct, Prince Ember?" Elsar said nudging Ember.

"But of course," Ember confirmed. "All of us should reenter the Noble House of Black and wait for Headmaster Albus to enlighten us with his presence. 'Tis rather hot out in the English lands."

"Of course, Your Highness," Mrs. Weasley said, inclining her head in a small bow.

"Please, Madame Weasley, 'tis Ember," Ember insisted. Mrs. Weasley gave a small nod and led everybody back into Number 12, where Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were waiting anxiously for the story.

"Mister Weasley, Mister Longbottom, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, if you could leave us be for a while longer?" Ember asked to the four politely. They nodded, a few raising their eyebrows at him, and left the room. Elsar pointed his finger at the door and a small spark formed at the tip of his finger.

"We are warded, my good sirs and ladies," Elsar informed them. Aure rolled her eyes, but that was also part of the plan so she had to go through with it. They weren't supposed to expect what would happen next.__

"Now we wait for Albus Dumbledore," Ember remarked. He and the others simultaneously sat down at three different chairs, each right beside the next. They waited patiently as Severus Snape went to get Albus Dumbledore. Ember tapped his foot patiently as ten minutes passed. He was taking just as much time as they had expected him to. Ember got up and walked to the fireplace in which Snape Flooed out of. He felt the fire for a few minutes with his eyes closed. A few minutes later, his eyes snapped open.

"Aure, Elsar, Snape has been intercepted!" he yelled out in alarm, as they had rehearsed. Aure and Elsar came immediately. "Don't leave the house, no matter what!" Ember instructed the Order members. In a flash of white and black light, all three of them disappeared. The other Order members could just stare for a few minutes, having nothing else to do without their leader there and being ordered to stay put.

As if on cue, the front door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place tumbled open. It was then that all hell broke loose.

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_Edited on: June 1, 2004 and July 5, 2004_

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**_Author's Notes:_** I changed a great deal of this chapter. I'm hoping that you all would reread the entire story from beginning to where I left off so you can understand The Plan better. Those of you who have just started reading this are probably confused and rightly so, but DO NOT READ ON UNTIL I'VE FINISHED THE EDITIONS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE JUST STARTED TO READ THIS! IT WILL BE HIGHLY CONFUSING!

Below are pronunciations and descriptions of people and places here that are mentioned and what we know of them so far. As more characters are introduced, they will be added to the list as they appear. Old characters and places will be removed from the list and the new ones are added at the end of every chapter. At the very end, I will be putting up a full chapter with descriptions to everything and anything that is mentioned about each Elf as a finale.

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**Pronunciations, People, and Places**:

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Eirith – [AY-rith] – capital of the Entari Kingdom

Aurenia – [oh-REH-nee-ah] – Princess of the Ayras, twin sister of Prince Ember, daughter of King Estrian and Queen Azurei

Aure – [oh-REY] – Aurenia's nickname

Ember – [EM-burr] – Prince of the Entaris, twin brother of Princess Aurenia, son of King Estrian and Queen Azurei

Ayra – [AI-rah] – the Light Elves of Terredepaix

Entari – [en-TAH-ree] – the Dark Elves of Terredepaix

Arwyse – [AR-wih-see] – a friend of Aurenia's that is currently filling in the position of Princess at Terredepaix while Princess Aurenia is out on business


	2. Chapter II

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Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe, but I do, however, own Aurenia, and everything else Elven (Entari or Ayra) that you don't recognize from published works. 

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**Quickie Note**_:_ This chapter is quite short, but it is important for later on in the story. Guess, why don't you?

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Chapter 2

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"Ember! Many Dark," the prince cleared his throat pointedly, his eyes going cold and his eyebrows raised expectantly, "my apologies, _Evil_ Wizards are roaming about in the rooms to the west, and the worst of the Deyers are farther to the east," said Aure.

"'Tis too simple," Ember commented, acknowledging her remarks. Elsar nudged him and pointed to a door to the right that led to the east part of the fortress in which they entered. It was covered in Dark Traps. Ember and Elsar recognized them immediately because they were some of the novice Traps that had been taught during Battle Magic lessons they had been given. "They wished to lure us here. Very well. We'll play fire with fire. Aure, take out the Deyers in the west. Elsar and myself shall join you as soon as Severus is secure at the Order Headquarters." Aure nodded and left with a flash of her pure white robes. As soon as she disappeared, not a ray of light shone in the room, as though she took all the light with her. _Which she probably did,_ Ember thought amusedly.

Elsar wielded a bow that was slung on his back and loaded it with a black-tipped arrow, sharpened by Entari Magic. Ember pulled out a long knife – a dagger – out from his belt and was careful to slip it through his cloak without ripping any of the cloth. They walked carefully onwards, kicking doors open as quietly as they could. Opening doors with the doorknobs would activate the Magical Traps laid for them and kicking the doors open was the only choice they had left. They could probably not Melt around, for it seemed far too confusing and neither knew the place well enough.

"Ember, sometimes, I must wonder how you know what goes on in everyday life," Elsar whispered to his godson conversationally.

"'Tis not something that I was born with," Ember whispered back. He and Elsar were still moving smoothly from room to room. At times when he indicated it, they went to a door on the left or right instead of ahead. "Ages of working in the shadows gives an Entari sharp eyesight. 'Tis merely something that I had acquired earlier than most. On knowing things before they come, every man – and elf – has instincts. I have learned to trust on my instinct, because it hasn't failed me yet."

"Indeed," Elsar agreed. He said no more as Ember held his silver dagger tighter. Elsar spotted the action and tightened his hands around his arrow, although not fully wielding the bow and arrow. Enemy was close, very close. He could feel it in his very bones. His instinct told him to wait, so wait he did.

"Pull… tighten… aim… wait…" Elsar muttered under his breath. It was the words his instructor had taught him when he was learning how to use a bow and arrow. Ember poised his dagger, ready to strike at the spot Elsar had indicated the enemy was going to be when they went through the door. Elsar gave the signal and Ember kicked the door open as quietly as he could. Right on target, the person's heart was where Elsar's bow's tip was, and where he was planning to attack. What surprised him most was whom the heart belonged to.

It was Wormtail – also known as Peter Pettigrew.

Seeing Elsar come close to releasing the arrow, Ember nudged Pettigrew aside. The arrow was released and it landed on the ground sharply, pointing upwards. It was embedded into the ground a few inches and it was shaking from impact.

"Temper, Elsar," Ember whispered. Elsar gave a small sigh of frustration, but heeded his prince's words anyways. "We shall bring justice soon enough. We're here on a different purpose; do not get distracted." Elsar nodded reluctantly and pointed his finger at Pettigrew. The balding man tried to change into his rat Animagus form, but invisible magic hit him on the chest before he could will himself to do so, stunning him. Elsar drew his finger up to his face. Smoke sputtered out of the tip of it and he blew it away.

"Since when have you begun to start watching non-magical movies, dear Elsar?" Ember asked; surprise and amusement was etched onto his face.

"One is never limited to his old ways, Ember," replied Elsar with his free hand grasping another arrow.

"And one must not be influenced by Aure's ways too easily just because he is her godfather through his godson," Ember shot back. Elsar rolled his eyes. Aure was one who had grown up in the Elven world, but was interested in the Muggle world immensely, almost making Arthur Weasley pale in comparison with her obsession.

"Send him to the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office with a note, Elsar," said Ember. Elsar snapped his fingers and a note appeared with Elsar's handwriting, stating what the issue was, but unsigned. Elsar snapped his fingers and the piece of parchment flew to Pettigrew's stunned form and stuck itself to him. Elsar snapped his fingers once again and Pettigrew disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Why smoke, my fellow Entari?" asked Ember curiously.

"You never know when another is watching," replied Elsar with a sly grin. "We must provide proper entertainment and smoke is a very good special effect." The two Entaris chuckled. Ember's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Two rooms away, ahead, then left," he whispered. Elsar nodded. He wielded his bow again, and watched as his prince prepared to strike with another dagger in his other hand. They proceeded to the next room. Ember glared at the door and it turned a bright sort of green before shadows appeared on it.

"More Dark Traps," Elsar whispered. He moved up to the door along with Ember and muttered a few incoherent words. The shadows disappeared one by one and the green faded. He turned to Ember and saw a determined glint in the royal Entari's eyes.

"One must face his enemies, and keep a calm and logical mind confronting it," whispered Elsar encouragingly. Ember nodded towards him and counted down under his breath. Both of them held tight to their bowstrings. Ember kicked the door open.

The scene that met the two Entaris – although they had been expecting this – shocked them.

Severus Snape – Hogwarts Potions Master, and known as the 'greasy sniveling git' by many of his Hogwarts students – was lying on the ground in a small puddle of his own blood. Lord Voldemort – formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle – was staring at the body in front of him with a triumphant air. They noticed that his Inner Circle wasn't around him and that he was alone with Snape.

"Ah… gentlemen, you have arrived at the Dark Fortress… quite late for the occasion though," Voldemort said silkily.

"You must write the time correctly in order for your guests to arrive on time," Ember retoted dryly. Elsar pointed his finger at Snape and managed to levitate him off the ground a few inches before Voldemort saw the movement and cast him back down.

"So the Dark Elves has graced us with their presence! Wonderful…" Voldemort drawled on.

"What do you wish to discuss with us, Tom?" Elsar said, raising his eyebrows.

"Must we get to the point?" Voldemort said tauntingly. Both Entaris ignored him. Voldemort gave a dramatic sigh. "Ah, you ruin my fun. I am thinking you are Ember and you are one of his nobles?" Voldemort asked.

"That would be correct," Ember replied stiffly. How Voldemort knew that in the first place, he didn't know.

"Lower your hoods, gentlemen, there is no need for a disguise," said Voldemort.

"And what if we don't?" Elsar challenged. It was fun to infuriate a Dark Lord. He didn't get to do it everyday after all…

"I'll make you," Voldemort spat. "_Imperio!_" A light flashed and all went still. Then, a dark laugh started. Another one joined it. It came from the two Entaris.

"What have we said about warring against Elves… especially an Entari Prince and High Lord?" said Ember dangerously.

"Eh?" Voldemort said, smirking challengingly. Elsar raised his eyebrows at him delicately. Ember stared pointedly at Snape. Snape disappeared with a small _pop_.

"I must know why Royalty don't like to put up a show," Elsar muttered.

"Because Prince Ember does not wish to snap his fingers everywhere like Lord Elsar does," Ember replied, sending a wry smile towards him as Elsar slapped him in the back of the head.

"Respect your elders, Ember!" Elsar scolded with a definite amused twinkle in his eye. Ember looked at him innocently, his eyes clearly portraying the message _'You're an elder?'_.

"Elsar, we have an audience," Ember hissed, though laughter rang in his voice. He and Elsar noticed a raging Voldemort watching the two of them, not amused at all.

"The idiot was a traitor, you fools!" Voldemort cried, wringing his hands exasperatedly. If it weren't such a serious situation, the two Entaris would've laughed. Pathetic.

"Eh? I did not notice," Elsar said sarcastically. "Will you please state your reason as to why you lured us here?"

"I give you the offer: Join us or you shall die a very painful death!" Voldemort said triumphantly. Ember blinked. Oh this was TOO funny… To Voldemort's puzzlement and anger, Elsar and Ember began to laugh. They lost their sense of elegance and gained a reckless yet dangerous sense to them.

"Oh, that's a classic," Ember said in between his laughs.

"'Join us or you shall die a very _painful_ death!'" Elsar said, mocking Voldemort's exact expression and making it more humorous. He and Ember roared with laughter. The 'Dark Lord' didn't find this amusing at all.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" he shouted with fury. Ember and Elsar separated easily, dodging the green light. They were both still laughing.

"We're not exactly stupid, Monsieur Riddle," Ember remarked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He turned to Elsar, who had the same twinkle. Oh this would be _so_ much fun. They nodded simultaneously, as if reading each other's minds.

"Bye-bye Riddie, darling!" Elsar said in a high-pitched tone. They melted back into the shadows. Before they left, they saw a glimpse of Voldemort with pink snakes protruding out of his head and jelly-like arms. He was raging with fury. The last Voldemort heard of them that night was their highly irritating laughs.

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"Ember! Elsar! You're here at last!" Aure cried out. She tackled Elsar and Ember to the ground as a flurry of curses and hexes were sent to them. She immediately jumped up and began dodging curses hurled at her, fighting tooth and nail and obviously being outnumbered.

"Greetings, Aure!" Ember yelled. He and Elsar helped Aure clear out the way of the wall, more Death Eaters enclosing the spaces, eager to get a piece of them.

"Aure, bind the stunned or dead Deyers and Melt them to the English Ministry of Magic," Ember shouted as he shot a Stunning Spell from the tip of his finger.

"There is not a single ray of light anywhere, Ember!" Aure yelled back frantically. She searched the whole place. It was a dark fortress and shut off any light. It would be very hard to create light in a Fortress that encouraged no light at all. Her abilities only allowed her to stretch out light, not make it.

"Elsar!" shouted Ember. Elsar nodded quickly and Melted with the shadows on the walls and floors, picking up dead or stunned Deyers along the way with him. It was always easier to carry unconscious and/or dead passengers, for they weren't conscious of their surroundings and they followed him without question. Elsar made several trips back and forth, seeing as there were quite a lot of Deyers either unconscious or gone from this world.

"Aure!" Ember and Aure stopped their attacks. Ember tackled Aure as a Killing Curse was sent her way. They both Melted into the shadows, leaving behind extremely angry and scared Death Eaters behind them. Angry because they got away, and mostly scared of the consequences of letting them escape from Voldemort…

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"'Twas too easy, don't you think?" Aure asked Ember. Ember nodded in agreement. They reappeared in the Black House. It was not as it had been when they had left. Papers were strewn all across the floors. Black scorch marks were all over the walls. Blood was spilled on the floor in random places. Books toppled off shelves. The shelves themselves had toppled over. All of the furniture were moved and/or torn to pieces. The battle that had taken place there had obviously remained on the first floor, as the trail of mess stopped at the staircase.

"Deyers aren't very clean, are they?" Aure asked in amusement.

"I think not," Ember agreed. He picked up a Death Eater mask that had fallen to the floor. "Look at this horrid thing!" He put his nose close to it and sniffed. He pulled away immediately, wrinkling his nose, disgusted. "Someone does not know how to brush his teeth properly…" Aure laughed.

"Madame Weasleys? Monsieur Weasleys? Headmaster Dumbledore?" Aure called out. After a few moments, said people walked into the room, looking at the two elves in surprise. Severus Snape was seen in the room the Weasleys and Dumbldore had left in the care of Madame Pomphrey. Dumbledore was looking at Ember amusedly as the elf picked up Death Eater robes and masks and muttering things about their smell. Ember dropped the shredded robe he picked up gingerly and looked up, finally noticing Dumbledore and the Weasleys.

"Ah, Headmaster Dumbledore, you have finally enlightened us with your presence," Ember said with a smile.

"Things were hectic at Hogwarts, Mr…?" Dumbledore asked, trailing off. He clearly didn't recognize the two royal Elves that decidedly graced his presence. They were very different from the time they met from the present.

"Prince Ember of the Entari from Eirith, Headmaster," Ember replied calmly. "'Tis just Ember, sir. I'm sure you know about Entaris and Ayras? Please, Headmaster, you must remember me and Aure, here."

"You may call me Albus, Ember, and yes," Dumbledore said calmly, bowing his head to him. "Now what did you wish to speak to me of?"

"Ah, but we must tell you who we really are first, Headmaster," Aure answered. "Actually, we have to tell _them_." Aurenia's head tilted towards the skeptical Weasley clan. "You should know already, unless your age is finally catching up with you, of course," Aure teased lightly. Dumbledore chuckled.

"You remember, of course, that I am the older twin by five minutes, yes?" Ember inquired of the old man. Dumbledore briefly nodded, an amused twinkle in his eye brightening. They were just saying these things to provide the Weasleys the information, not to test the Headmaster's memory.

"Five minutes… didn't humans ever hear the phrase 'Ladies first'?" Aure said, annoyed. Ember laughed at her. "I think not."

"On the subject, I think it is time for us to reveal who we truly are, don't you think, Aure?" Ember said, looking at his sister, his hand ruffling her hair slightly. Aure slapped his hand away and smoothed down her hair.

"Watch the hair!" Aure snapped. Her expression immediately turned serene. "I agree, Ember," Aure said, nodding her head. She tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms, pretending to think. "Your human name was Harry James Potter was it not?"

* * *

_Edited on: June 1, 2004 and June 5, 2004_

* * *

**Many Thanks to:** athenakitty, FawkesRises, insanechildfanfic, Dysis, Oracle10, Wytil, Solaris Isis, lily4james, pingpong5, Silverhowl, sadisticfreak529, Siripiritus, and Mikito for reviewing.

* * *

**Pronunciations, People, and Places**:

* * *

Deyer – [DYE-er] – the Elven name for the Death Eaters of Voldemort, and Evil Wizards in general

Melt – Elven form of traveling; depends on user, Entaris Melt into shadows, Ayras Melt into the light. Both types of elves may take non-elven passengers, but the effort takes a lot more energy than transporting himself/herself. Most elves can only travel between realms four times a day unless the action is practices many times before.

The Dark Fortress – the castle that serves as Voldemort's headquarters where he holds most meetings. It is inaccessible to everyone not a Death Eater through Floo and inaccessible in general. Those who apparate to the Dark Fortress must know what it looks like, so therefore, only Death Eaters are given access to the Fortress and most importantly, Voldemort himself.

Dark Traps – traps that can do body or mental harm; they are forbidden by the Ministry of Magic.


	3. Chapter III

**Disclaimer**: The Harry Potter universe belongs to Mrs. Joanna K. Rowling, who is the ruler of the HP universe. Princess Aurenia of Atlantis and ruler of the Ayras belongs to me as well. Everything else elven (Entari or Ayra) belongs to me, unless it is already used by another. If another AFTER me uses it, then it belongs to me. If anyone has tried to use it after me, you better give my OCs back, or at least ask permission to borrow them.

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

For about fifteen minutes, everybody stood in shock. Everybody, except perhaps Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. His eyes were twinkling knowingly. Part of the shock was discovering what the elves had looked like under the shadows of their hoods. The other part covered of the shock of realizing that Prince Ember of Eirith and the Prince of the Entari was actually their beloved Harry James Potter. Aurenia counted in her head the time it would take for them to explode. _'10… 9… 8…'_ she thought.

"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a soft yet dangerous way, breaking the shocked silence. _'… 4… 3… 2…' _Aurenia thought, a smirk coming up to her lips. Ember flinched. Mrs. Weasley reared up to release her rage. Ember braced himself. _'…1.'_ "HARRY JAMES POTTER, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE'VE BEEN FOR THIS PAST YEAR?!" Ginny and Hermione – who had arrived when she heard voices – rushed out to hug him. As soon as they came in contact with him, he was nearly thrown off his feet at their force. They let go and twice the two girls smacked him. He winced at the contact. Each slapped him on different cheeks, and it damn hurt!

"Er, Mrs. Weasley, could you please lower your voice?" Ember asked politely, covering his ears and struggling to keep his balance. Aure flashed him a sympathetic smile and was obviously trying to conceal her laughter. Aure's smile faltered slightly as she heard a rustle behind her.__

"Mission accomplished," said a voice from the shadows. Elsar emerged, dusting off his hands casually. "The Deyers are tucked safely in the Ministry cells. Private ones. I made sure of that." Elsar grinned triumphantly. He had been told to tell them he was under the orders of the Minister to lock the Deyers, not in Azkaban, but in the interrogation room in the Auror Division. The vast room was dark and void of all objects except a chair and dozens of empty cells. He had once been working in the Auror Division himself and knew that someone would inspect the room sooner or later, noticing the foul stench that exuded out of it.

"Ah, dear Elsar, it is time for you to reveal yourself as well," said Ember with a sly grin. Elsar grimaced and smiled lamely. "Don't try to be subtle. We don't have much time left to stay here before we have to go back." _'That means we're late. Snape's little escapade took longer than we thought, then. Must hurry with these things then…'_

"Lord Elsar of Eirith… otherwise known as Sirius Black, at your service," Elsar said with a bow. Apparently, they didn't believe that this was Sirius Black. All of them had been explained to of Sirius's innocence, and all of them saw, or heard, of his death. Hermione was seething. She reared her hand back and slapped him like she had done with Malfoy back in her third year.

"How dare you ruin Sirius's memory? Is this some kind of sick joke?" Hermione hissed dangerously. Elsar cleared his throat and was about to speak when he clamped his mouth shut again. He looked thoughtful for a while, then spoke, "Ember, I am in need to talk in a normal _human-like_ way."

"Why not? We aren't in the presence of any other elves, but I'm sure _Aure_ won't mind if we talk 'normally', right _Aure_?" Ember said sweetly – much too sweetly. Aure rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine, fine," Aure said with a defeated tone. "I wanted to talk normally as well anyways. Damn elves don't know how to be casual, I tell you… And plus, it was Arwy's fault in the first place for rubbing it on me!"

"Wow, Aure gave up to Ember! I'd never thought I'd see the day!" Elsar cried in a way similar to the way he had been before he had been imprisoned in Azkaban. Aure slapped him in the back of his head indignantly. Elsar shrugged and smiled. Ember cleared his throat.

"Oh yeah," Elsar said, noticing the Weasleys, Hermione, and Dumbledore staring at him with strange looks. He motioned for them to sit down uncertainly. They did so robot-like. They sat in silence for a while.

"Cat got your tongue?" Elsar asked, his eyebrows were raised the whole time they were silent. "Not the right thing to say, wasn't it?" A few seconds after his last statement, questions were shot at them at top speed. Elsar nearly fell over from the noise.

"Okay, okay! Stop! One at a time," Ember yelled over the noise. They silenced after a moment. Ember rolled his eyes as Aure snickered. "Now, _one at a time_!"

"Sirius Black is dead, so who is this elf?" Ron asked, pointing at Elsar angrily. He, too, had been affected deeply by the godfather of his best friend's death.

"You know, it's rude to point," Elsar remarked, looking disgustedly at Ron's index finger that was pointed at him. "You didn't expect me to look so healthy, didn't you?" They all nodded, some somewhat hesitantly. Dumbledore was sitting in an armchair on his own, looking on with amusement. "It's really me. I swear!"

"Uh, Black," Ember started, calling his godfather by his last name as he was used to doing. Calling him Sirius would open a chance for Sirius to make those 'Sirius-serious' jokes he always made. He and Aure were tired of his lame joke and settled for his last name. "Just to remind you, Remus doesn't know." Elsar nodded, thinking to himself, as he was expected to do.

"When we meet him next, I'll tell him," Elsar replied. He smiled wryly. "Won't he be in a surprise?"

"You may tell him when he arrives for the next Order meeting," Dumbledore suggested. They tilted their heads thoughtfully, as if saying _'maybe, maybe not'_.

"So how do we know that you are Sirius Black?" Hermione asked suspiciously. Elsar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Ask me anything that only the Sirius Black would know," Elsar finally said.

"What happened in our third year when you attacked us?" Ron shot at him.

"Eh, nice one." Elsar rubbed his forehead in thought. His eyes brightened as the memory came to him. "Crookshanks and I attacked you, Harry, Hermione, and Wormtail. We brought you into the Shrieking Shack through a secret passageway in the Whomping Willow. Remus came in and we explained to you about that night. Snape also came in the picture. You three disarmed him, got a cut on his head, I believe. Then, we started towards the school. About a hundred Dementors came flooding to Kiss me. Before that, I asked Harry," he inclined his head towards Ember, who was half-listening and bored, "to live with me after I got my name cleared. He said 'yes' as I remember. I think he fought off the Dementors, but I was unconscious then. I was brought into Hogwarts for the Dementor's Kiss, but Harry and Hermione here got me out with Buckbeak. How did you do that anyways?" Elsar turned to Ember, who had his head on his hand and staring out the window in a daze. Elsar knocked off Ember's elbow, which had been resting on the couch, and his head landed on the couch painfully hard.

"OW! What the hell was that for?" Ember asked confusedly. Ginny – who had stayed quiet all this time – smiled at his amusing antics. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly turned away and blushed. Aure noticed this and smiled at her. Ginny looked down.

"We got some help from my Time Turner that I had in that year," Hermione answered. Her expression suddenly changed from pride to horror as she looked at the other Weasleys who had not known about it.

"Can you forget what she just said?" Ember said lamely. Everyone ignored him, instead, turning to Hermione in interest.

"YOU _WHAT?!_" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, standing up. Her eyes were wide with fury and disdain.

"Molly, let him explain everything that has happened first, then you may scold him all you want," Mr. Weasley said soothingly. Mrs. Weasey calmed slightly and sat back down. Fury was still etched on her face, from the thin setting of her lips to her reddening ears.

"Why did you help Black escape?" Bill said, his eyebrows rose towards Elsar.

"Hey, I'm innocent!" Elsar retorted. He launched into the story of that fateful night. He ignored all the pain and guilt that came with it. The ones that had raised their wands lowered them sadly. They tilted their heads towards Elsar sympathetically. _'Excellent… conversations are going just as planned,'_ Aure thought, hiding her pleased smile behind her hand.

"And how do we know that you are our Harry?" Hermione asked Ember.

"Even though my appearance has changed, the scar never left," Ember replied, lifting up his hair. The familiar lightning bolt was there, exactly where it had always been.

"You could have used Polyjuice, though," Hermione pointed out.

"And how exactly do you know that potion?" Mr. Weasley asked with raised eyebrows. "Students don't actually learn that particular one until seventh year… which you haven't even started." Hermione blushed and Ron shifted uncomfortably.

"That can be for another time," Ember said, saving them from the uncomfortable explanation and saving himself from the verbal onslaught Aure no doubt would've given him if he wasted more time. He himself was getting nervous about explaining the incident in his second year. "Curse scars don't apply to Polyjuice. You can't get them because you didn't survive that particular curse." Hermione nodded, getting her answer. She grinned at him.

"So what happened this summer, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, getting back to the point. Aure thanked the man mentally. They needed to move on.

"Ah yes… that…"

* * *

_**Flashback**_

* * *

Harry leaned against the door for support. His body ached mercilessly. He had been working on his chores for the past few days and this day was just one of the hotter ones. He had been finishing up a side of the fence, as the Dursleys had instructed him to do. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and entered his room. He collapsed onto the bed tiredly. Groaning in pain, he looked towards the clock. The red numbers flashed 9:37. It was already dark outside.

He closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to overcome him, yet regretting to do so. For the past weeks, he had been having nightmares of Sirius falling into the veil, and him standing next to the veil, yelling out for him helplessly. As usual, the nightmare began.

_He saw Sirius dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin that he was ashamed of being related to. He laughed as Bellatrix missed him with a spell of hers and taunted her skills. Bellatrix drew up in fury and sent a simple Stunning Curse to his way. He was sent back… right into the veil._

_"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled out. He tried moving from his spot next to the veil, but he found that he couldn't. Something bound him there. He watched as Sirius flew back in a graceful arch and into the veil. "NO! SIRIUS! COME BACK!" He tried to move again, and again failed. He broke down into tears, something he had not done in his past nightmares. Guilt and pain overtook him as he watched Sirius disappear into the veil, the voices in the veil taunting him mercilessly of his guilt. Tears of guilt and shame escaped his eyes. As soon as they came, they stopped. Harry stood up, his face full of pain and anger, glaring dangerously at Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's murderer. He felt a sudden surge of bravery and anger. He had never done this in a nightmare before… "How dare you?" he whispered dangerously. Bellatrix didn't hear him in this nightmare. Or so he thought. Bellatrix continued laughing, but looked around uncertainly as if she had heard him. She couldn't hear him…could she? "HOW DARE YOU!" Harry bellowed._

He woke up in sweats as he had always done. He had never done such a thing like that. Thundering could be heard from his Uncle and Aunt's bedroom. He looked at the clock. It was 3:48 in the morning. _'Oh no…'_ Harry thought as he heard the thundering of footsteps come closer to his bedroom. He closed his eyes tightly shut, waiting for the blow.

Harry's door blasted open as his Uncle Vernon came charging into the room furiously. "YOU WAKE US IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT _AGAIN_ WITH YOUR HORRID YELLING!" Uncle Vernon spat. Harry didn't know why he still called that pathetic excuse of a man uncle. His Uncle Vernon raised his fist up to hit him. _'Here it goes again…'_ Harry thought as the first blow hit him full on the stomach.

His uncle had been striking his anger at Harry at every little thing that Harry had done wrong ever since the beefy man had to shut down Grunnings, the grill-producing company that he worked in, since it was coming out with negative money instead of taking in money. Harry braced himself and made his face emotionless. He had learned that his uncle…or rather…this monster had taken great pleasure in making his life hell and giving him much pain after the first few blows of the summer and was pleased to hear his screams and see his pain.

Vernon stopped promptly at 6:30 in the morning so he could go down for breakfast. Harry managed to get to his feet after a few painful stumbles and collapsed onto his bed. The door creaked open. Harry's eyes shot to the door, hoping it wasn't Uncle Vernon yet again. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Aunt Petunia had never shown him any care before. In fact, she avoided her family as much as she could this summer.

"What do you want?" Harry asked emotionlessly. He noticed Aunt Petunia flinch slightly at his tone. She gained a concerned look when she saw his body.

"D-did Vernon d-do that to y-you?" she stuttered nervously. Harry nodded slowly but without emotion. She gulped uncertainly.

"J-just last one m-more night, Harry," she said quietly and unsurely. Harry raised her eyebrows at her, interestedly. "Y-you're turning s-sixteen tomorrow aren't you?" Harry nodded slowly. So she had known when his birthday was. "I-I think you can d-do m-ma-mag…" she struggled with her words, "magi-magic at sixteen. There was a w-waver f-for you, since y-your godfather d-died right?" Harry nodded again. "I-I'm sorry I can't help more. I'm just no match against Vernon. I'm scared for you, Harry." She left the room nervously, looking around to see if anybody heard. She rose up again in a more Petunia Dursley manner that he had known and looked at him sharply. "There will be no chores today. Vernon and Dudley are going out for lunch later. Vernon got a job offer and you are not to do any chores, you got it?" Harry nodded again painfully. She left, but not before giving him a sympathetic look.

* * *

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

"That hag actually _cared_?" Ron asked incredulously. He had been hearing of how his aunt and uncle treated Harry from the letters he had received. He had never heard that his uncle abused him though. Harry had always said that he was fine in his letters so no one had come to check on him.

"I was thinking along those same lines at that time as well," Ember answered.

"You told us you were fine in your letters, though!" Mrs. Weasley protested, echoing Ron's previous thoughts.

"I wrote those letters under the supervision of Uncle Vernon," Ember replied bitterly.

"Please continue," Dumbledore said calmly, his voice wavering just slightly.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

* * *

Later that day, Harry just stayed in his bed, not daring to move, even to get food. It was still the second day of the three-day cycle and he didn't need to send a letter to the Order. He heard Uncle Vernon's car pull up in the driveway. He heard Dudley trudge into his room and then heard the thundering of his uncle's footsteps. They were coming towards his door. _'What?! Time for my beating already? I didn't think he did it in the middle of the day!'_ Harry thought frantically. Unfortunately, he was still in great pain from the last blows and couldn't move.

The footsteps stopped at his door. In those few last seconds, Harry made his face emotionless and unfazed. The door to his room banged open and he saw his Uncle Vernon purple-faced and his moustache quivering unnervingly. His uncle looked at him in great anger. "IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU DID SOME OF YOUR MAGIC AND MADE ME LOSE MY JOB!" Uncle Vernon bellowed. And the beatings started again. It was more painful than any he had ever had before because he was still fresh from his last one. He bit his scream back and his lip started to bleed from all the pain. His uncle continued for a few more hours, letting his anger and frustration out on Harry. By the end, Harry had fallen unconscious. _'Sweet darkness… come to me…'_ was his last thought before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

"HE DID _WHAT?!?!_" the Weasleys and Hermione cried out simultaneously. Elsar, Aure, and Dumbledore had raging furious looks on their faces, but remained silent.

"He beat me… twice in the same day," Ember said quietly. "He's in Muggle jail. He didn't use magic so he's in there. He's in there for life. I was almost dead after he was done with the second beating." Ember smiled wryly as he remembered that fateful day and exhaled soundlessly.

"Please continue, Harry," Dumbledore said, his voice somewhat shaking from either anger or extreme hatred for Harry's abusive uncle.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

* * *

Harry woke up in a white room. Very very bright room. He blinked a few times before finally getting used to the whiteness of the room. He guessed he was in a hospital. He turned his head to the side slowly and painfully. To his surprise, his Aunt Petunia was sitting in a chair next to him, leaning on the wall and dozing quietly. He saw a Muggle contraption next to him, pumping a clear-ish liquid into his arm.

"I see you have awoken," said a voice from the other side of the room. He turned his head to that direction slowly, ignoring the pain coming with it. He saw a man with a white coat and something – was it a stethoscope? – was around his neck. "That is good. I will have the nurse check up on you and take your information. You've suffered a lot, young man." Harry nodded and the man – he guessed it was a Muggle doctor – left the room.

Harry closed his eyes and focused on breathing. Even that was painful to do. He heard the taps of high heels in front of him. He opened his eyes slowly and saw a nurse in a white outfit holding a clipboard and pen. "Name, sir?" the nurse asked.

"Harry James Potter," he answered.

"Parent or guardian's name?"

"Petunia and Vernon Dursley." He saw the nurse flinch slightly at the last name he said.

"Age?"

"Turning sixteen tomorrow." He looked at the calendar for confirmation. So he had only been out for a few hours. It seemed like days that he was floating around in the comforting darkness.

"Date of birth?"

"July 31, 1980." The nurse asked him questions about his school. He chose to say that he went to a foreign boarding school in Scotland named Hogwarts. The nurse frowned at his answer and continued. After his little 'interrogation', he sat back on his bed and fell into a – for once – dreamless sleep. After what seemed like seconds in the comfortable darkness, he was awoken again by the sound of footsteps. The footsteps were very faint. It seemed that his Aunt Petunia had left his bedside and he was alone in the dark room. He guessed it was already night.

The nurse checked in again, asking him questions on how he felt. As the nurse closed the door behind her to leave his room, he felt a pull behind his navel as he was jerked away from the hospital.

* * *

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

Ember paused dramatically in his tale. He waited for a few minutes while the Weasleys and Hermione watched him with bated breath.

"Aww, Ember, you're always good with cliffhangers!" Aure cried out, clapping, her giddy mood not quite reaching her eyes. Her eyes were flashing _'Get on with the story so we can go!'_

"You've learned well, my boy!" Elsar said, clapping his back. His eyes were portraying the same message as Aure's. Ember bowed cheerily, his eyebrows lifting ever so slightly, almost as if saying _'Patience'_. Ginny slapped him on the back of his head.

"Continue already!" she said irritably. Aure and Elsar mentally cheered Ginny on.

"Fine, fine!" Ember said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Well, next moment, I met my sister and godfather, Princess Aurenia of the Ayra from Atlantis and Lord Elsar of the Entari from Eirith. Though I certainly did not know that at the time."

* * *

_Edited: June 2, 2004 and July 6, 2004_

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**Many Thanks to**: Istalksiriusonweekends, insanechildfanfic, athenakitty, pingpong5, Amy_, _blondie_,_ junemoon777, SilverKnight7, Siripiritus, crazyNproud, Anakhsenamoon, Lord of Darkness13, Rayna, FawkesRises, BloodRedSword, and lily4james for reviewing.

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**Author's Notes**: I didn't edit much in this chapter, except adding in a few little things here and there so it could be a little amusing and it would match the other chapters.

No need for Pronunciations and things. Nothing new here, except that Ember is Harry Potter.


	4. Chapter IV

**Disclaimer**: Once again, I will tell you. The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I only own the things here that are Elven that are not already in published works. Elves are a 'myth' and no one can lay claim to creating them. J.R.R. Tolkien can claim the human-like Elf that he had created.

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**QUICK NOTE**: New characters and quite a few places are introduced here. For their pronunciations, check at the bottom of this page. This one took the longest to edit so far, since I had to check over and over with the French and I had to put in pronunciations, making sure I didn't miss anything. I also had to put in descriptions of places and people and make sure I don't miss a detail. There are quite a few spoilers in the pronunciations and details at the bottom. Just a hint…

**QUICK NOTE 2**: This chapter moves slightly faster than my liking, but I was very inexperienced in speeding things and dropping hints back then. I'm much better now, I swear!

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

**_Flashback _**

* * *

Harry looked around at his destination unblinkingly. It was a blindingly white room, like the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, only that it lacked moving paintings. There were other beds in the room around him, donned with white sheets and white pillows like his own bed he was lying in. Some had curtains draped around them to give privacy to whoever it was occupying the bed. He looked at the portrait on the wall above him. There was a very pretty lady on it with red hair and emerald eyes. The person looked oddly like his mother, Lily Evans Potter, when she was eighteen years old, a little time before she became pregnant with him most probably.

"That was my mother," said a voice behind him. He turned his head around, with no pain, surprisingly. He looked at the figure before him. The figure was a female. She had her mother's emerald green eyes and silky black hair that went halfway down her back. She was wearing a blindingly bright white cloak that covered everything except her head, which made her seem to melt into the white walls around him. A sparkling gold tiara was atop of her head. Her face was soft but betrayed no emotion. Even her striking emerald eyes that looked oddly like his, which were supposed to be 'windows to the soul' were empty of emotion. What baffled him most were her ears, which were pointed at the top.

"My mother died when I was very young, protecting my older brother," she said tonelessly. Her soft gaze turned to meet his. "We've been expecting you, Harry James Potter." Harry blinked, gaping slightly at her. How did she know his name? Where was he, anyways? How come he felt no pain? Questions continued popping up in his head at an uncontrollable rate. She continued to gaze at him without wavering although a slight wince could be seen if one looked close enough. As if she could hear his thoughts, she answered, "Everything will be explained to you the day after tomorrow. You must heal properly first and finish the ritual." Without waiting for his answer, she put her hand on hers. "Do not question what is about to happen until the day after tomorrow." He started to speak but found he couldn't, for he was moving again. He felt as if her hand froze him. Suddenly, light engulfed him, blinding his eyesight. His mind screamed at it to let him loose but he did not say a word. He fought to find darkness that he treasured once more. After a while in the light, the light faded and darkness engulfed him.

He was now sitting in a dark chamber. The chamber wasn't dark and grimy like the Chamber of Secrets at all. It was dark, yes, but it was far from grimy. He was sitting on a big chair about twice his size and found the chair draped in gold, silver, and black. In front of him were three brief stairs and the floor seemed to be marble that was black, gold, and silver, like the blankets covering the chair he was in. He didn't know how these things turned to how they were and he was eager to try and find out how they had done it.

"Questions later, Your Highness," said a voice next to him. He turned his head and saw the female from earlier still clothed in white standing next to a hooded man. The man had black hair and deep seemingly endless black eyes. He was taller than the female, who stood at 5'10, by a few inches at 6'2. He was wearing a pure black cloak covering his whole body and face. The man inclined his head towards him as a sign of respect.

"Who are you?" Harry couldn't help but ask. The man let out a deep bark-like laugh. Harry thought he knew that laugh from somewhere but he couldn't point his finger at it.

"I am Lord Elsar of Eirith, Your Majesty," the man answered. He nudged the female lightly. The female remained unfazed but answered anyways.

"I am Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, soon to be ruler of the Ayras," she answered emotionlessly. Princess Aurenia and Lord Elsar stared at him, waiting for a reaction. Harry's mind simply reeled with questions. Princess? Lord? Eirith? Atlantis? Ayra? _Your Majesty?_

"Like I said before, please save your questions for the day after tomorrow," Princess Aurenia said, as if hearing his questions. Harry nodded mutely, although his questions kept on popping up in his head. Princess Aurenia rubbed her head absently. Lord Elsar put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. Princess Aurenia smiled up at him gratefully.

* * *

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

Aure smiled fondly at the memory and grimaced slightly as she remembered the way she had acted. "That was really cold of me to do that, Ember, I apologize," she said to her twin.

"Forgiven," Ember said with a smile. He turned back to the Weasleys, who were hanging on to his every word.

"When you disappeared from that hospital-place, what happened?" Bill asked curiously.

"Oh, that was my first experience Melting," Ember answered. "I'm still not comfortable Melting using Light. Shadows are always the type that suits me. No wonder I hate the Hospital Wing so much…" Hermione cleared her throat for him to continue. Ember smiled at her sheepishly.

"Okay, so I healed the rest of the day," Ember continued. "The next day was the life-changing one, I tell you…"

* * *

**_Flashback_**

* * *

Harry woke up the following day rested, a state he hadn't experienced in a very long time. He found himself in a very large sort of suite. He was currently in the king-sized bed. The bed was donned in black, gold, and silver sheets. It seemed to be the theme color of everything in where he was. There was a bookshelf across the room next to a large window. Next to the bed was a side table with a candleholder. Nine candles were in it, all blown out. There was also a walk-in closet and dresser in the room. Next to the dresser was a mirror the size of the Mirror of Erised.

"I see you have awoken," said a voice behind him. It was the feminine voice of Princess Aurenia. She came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Change and put on a cloak over you," she instructed. "Keep your hood up if you don't wish to be recognized." She left the room gracefully, as if gliding. Harry stood up straight and walked to the closet. It was dark in there. Harry grabbed his wand, which had been in his pocket the whole time, and muttered, "_Lumos_." The light brightened up the whole closet and Harry nearly fell down in surprise.

Many different kinds of clothes hung in a large circular stand. Harry approached it uncertainly. "Where can I find…" he muttered to himself, "…a cloak?" Harry nearly tumbled back in shock as the circular stand swung to the right rapidly and stopped abruptly at the area where cloaks were hung. The clothes swung back and forth because of the sudden stop.

"Whoa," Harry said in awe. He stepped forward once again and flipped through the cloaks. He finally chose a silk black cloak with golden clasps and silver lining. On the back was a silver sword and longbow overlapping each other. Sparks were erupting out of the end of the sword. When he slipped into the cloak, he noticed the softness of the cloak and how it seemed like a second skin to him. He was too busy feeling the softness to realize the sparks on the back of the cloak start to move and form the name 'Ember'.

He walked through a door to his left and found himself in a smaller room with four tables and ten chairs. Behind the tables, there was a small shelf atop a black trunk. He took one of the books from the shelf and opened it. The pages were curiously blank. Shouldn't books have… text in them? After all, it was a _book_. He flipped through the pages, finding that all of the pages were similar to the others… blank.

"I see you have found the Blank Book," said Lord Elsar's voice from behind him. _'That's original,_' Harry thought sarcastically. Lord Elsar beckoned to him. "Come, Harry. You will get a chance to explore after the ritual is completed." Harry nodded and followed Lord Elsar out of his rooms. Together, they walked around the castle, as Harry guessed it was. It probably was the size of Hogwarts, if not larger. There were many intricately shaped columns with large runes carved into them. Harry gazed in wonder around him, trying to carefully remember his way so he could not get lost.

"I used to be a mischief-maker when I was in school," Lord Elsar said conversationally. "We made a map of my school while were in there during our free time. It's with my best friend's son. He's living in this castle right now. Probably roaming the halls right now." He laughed. Something clicked in Harry's mind, but he couldn't figure out what matched. He smiled to himself under his hood and looked up at Lord Elsar's hidden face. He could almost sense a proud smile under that hood. They turned a final corner and stopped at large wooden doors closely matching those at Hogwarts. Harry took a deep breath as Lord Elsar raised his hand to blow open the doors. Lord Elsar paused a little bit and looked at Harry, asking if he was ready. Harry gulped and nodded. The doors blasted open by the magic erupting from Lord Elsar's hand. Harry, too nervous, didn't gape in awe at the display of wandless magic.

"Is this him?" said a curt voice next to Lord Elsar. He heard a rustle of cloth as Lord Elsar nodded. Harry turned slowly and came face-to-face with a greasy-haired, hook-nosed, Snape-look-a-like. Harry jumped a bit at the resemblance of this male and his hated Potions professor.

"Well then, step forward, child," the male said irritably. "My name is Lord Entai and you best not make fun of it," he added, hearing a snort from under the young man's hood. Harry bit back a growl at being called 'child', especially by Lord Entai, this castle's resident Snape, he assumed. It seemed that there was one of those people in every castle. Harry stepped forward obediently. Others came up behind Lord Entai.

"These are the Lords and Ladies of the court," Lord Elsar explained. "Lord Enral of Ethain and Lady Azra of Aladei." A male clad in a black cloak and a female donned in a white cloak bowed to him. It seemed that everybody in this…place…wherever he was...wore either black or white cloak, pointed ears, and had extremely pale complexion. Had they ever seen the sun? Lady Azra and Lord Enral both had blonde hair and green-blue eyes. "They are siblings, as you might have noticed. This is Lady Arwyse of Adrani." A female inclined her head to him in respect and gave him a warm welcoming smile. She had brown hair and dark brown eyes. "Of course, you know Lord Entai of Etrivian." Lord Entai lowered his hood and sneered at him in a Snape-like way. Harry shuddered. He hoped he didn't have to deal with him a lot in the near future. "I am Lord Elsar of Eirith, as you know." He lowered his hood. He had black hair going down just above his shoulders and black eyes glimmering with wisdom and mischief. Harry smirked under his hood, which went by unnoticed by anyone.

"You lead the Lords and Ladies," a voice added. Harry looked out of the corner of his eyes and saw Princess Aurenia staring at them with twinkling eyes. "You are much too modest to admit that, Lord Elsar." Harry could feel Lord Elsar blush, although he could not see it through his own hood. Lord Entai glared at Princess Aurenia, who merely shrugged at him and said, "I only tell the truth, Lord Entai." Harry bit his lip, trying not to laugh at the expression of envy from Lord Entai to Lord Elsar. Lord Elsar smirked at him as if in triumph and chuckled deeply. Harry had his breakfast in the room he realized was equivalent to the Great Hall. However, there were eight tables in this room and this one was twice as large as the Great Hall. It was almost full, but people could still breathe properly. Harry listened in on many conversations, but found he could not understand some. He supposed the language was French or some other European language. It was definitely not English however.

Afterwards, Harry spent the day in his room resting as Princess Aurenia and Lord Elsar suggested him to do. They hinted that he would need the energy for later. He obliged willingly for he was starting to tire. He collapsed on his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

"Harry, you were just getting to the good part!" Charlie whined. It was the first time he had spoken in his whole story, but he supposed it was from contemplating all he had told them.

"Why do you have to be so good at these things?" Fred asked in a babyish manner.

"Can't you give us Weasleys a little mercy?" George said, putting a hand to his heart dramatically.

"Alright, alright, I didn't know you were so excited…" Ember said in defeat. He grinned. "But I could do for something to drink…" Ginny slapped him on the back of his head.

"Continue!" Ginny demanded. Elsar mimicked a whipping movement and noise. Ember glared at him, annoyed. Conjuring a drink absentmindedly, he continued…

* * *

**_Flashback_**

* * *

Harry woke and found that it was nearly midnight. He got off the bed and let his mind wander. _'This place seems familiar. Where have I seen it before? Hmm…It all seems like I've been here once before in my life. Wait, what about that portrait? But Princess Aurenia said it was her mother's. Hmm…But what if—'_ His thoughts were broken when Lord Elsar called out to him, waving a hand softly in front of his face. Harry found himself in a different room than yesterday. This one looked like the Hall of Mirrors from the Palace of Versailles in Muggle France. The ceiling looked like a large window and he found the stars surrounding a full moon. _'Remus…'_ Harry thought. The full moon was close to being directly above him. He noticed the Lords and Ladies of the court standing about a few feet apart from each other, forming a loose circle around him.

"The time for the ritual is nearing, Lord Elsar," Princess Aurenia told Lord Elsar. The two had been standing side-by-side right in front of Harry. Lord Elsar nodded in response and went forward to Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder. Lord Elsar beckoned him to the center of the large room. "You might want to kneel down, Harry. You will be kneeling in later times of the ritual anyways, so you might as well kneel." Harry did so obediently. Lord Elsar and Princess Aurenia backed away side-by-side two meters away from him. The other Lords and Ladies of the court formed a circle around him next to Princess Aurenia and Lord Elsar. Princess Aurenia started speaking slowly in a language unknown to him.

"En tant que sa soeur et camarade royal, j'accorde mon conseil au prince Ember, également connu sous le nom de Harry James Potter, et également ma fidélité complète," _[As his sister and a royal comrade, I grant my council to prince Ember, also known under the name of Harry James Potter, and also my complete loyalty] _she said. She looked at him with an emotionless stare, yet with a warm smile. Harry only recognized the word 'ember' and his name, but nothing else. Lord Elsar was next. He too was speaking slowly in a language Harry guessed was French.

"En tant que son parrain et seigneur de sa cour, j'accorde mon conseil au prince Ember, également connu sous le nom de Harry James Potter, et également ma fidélité complète," _[As his godfather and a lord of his court, I grant my council to prince Ember, also known under the name of Harry James Potter, and also my complete loyalty.]_ Lord Elsar said. He looked at him and Harry managed a smile before making his face emotionless and blank. Following Lord Elsar, the other Lords and Ladies spoke slowly as one.

"En tant que les seigneurs et dames de sa cour, nous accordons nos conseils à prince Ember, également connu sous le nom de Harry James Potter, et également notre fidélité complète," _[As the lords and ladies of his court, we grant our council to prince Ember, also known under the name of Harry James Potter, and also our complete loyalty.] _they said simultaneously. The midnight-moon shone through a circular window at the ceiling. Its shape matched the moon's. Harry glanced upward and got a glimpse of moonlight shining down upon him when he suddenly felt pain. Pain so much like the Cruciatus, yet so unlike it.

As Lord Elsar predicted, he fell to his knees. He was down on all fours breathing heavily in pain. He didn't dare scream in pain. He had trained himself not to in the past and he didn't dare let that training go to waste. He felt a sort of tingle take over his body and he closed his eyes tightly. At first, all he saw was black, obviously because of his eyelids. Then, he began seeing more events…of the past…

_It was a bright, sunny day. Harry looked around him and saw a perfect little house in front of him, about the size of Number Four Privet Drive, if not larger. The lawn was perfectly cut, the garden perfectly tended to, yet had an air of messiness. He walked – no, _glided_ – to a nearby window to the house. What he saw was a perfect little family he was expecting._

_There was a little baby with black messy hair and emerald green eyes in a crib, being cooed at by a man with jet-black messy hair and hazel eyes and a woman with long auburn hair and emerald green eyes. Harry realized with a pang of pain that this was his family in the past. Harry's eyes filled with tears. He could hear the conversation coming from inside the house through the window._

_"James, Harry must visit his home…his real home," his mother told his father. Harry smiled faintly at the sight. James sighed in defeat._

_"You've been asking me that for a long time now," James remarked with a small laugh._

_"That's because _maybe_ I want you to do it," Lily snapped. James shrugged._

_"I'll take him tomorrow, Lils, I promise," James assured his red-haired wife. Lily glared at him doubtingly and sauntered off to the kitchens._

_"Don't worry, Harry, I'll show you the way of the Elves," James whispered cooingly to his one-year-old son. Before the vision faded…_

He felt many eyes look onto him with confusion and concern. Harry's first thought was, _'I guess this isn't supposed to be happening…'_ Harry felt the darkness overcome him and he felt a melting sensation, as if blending in with the walls. More visions filled his head. Eventually, he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

"Harry, I _told_ you not to do that anymore!" Ginny yelled, rolling her eyes. Ember shrugged.

"I figured I'd leave out the visions so that you can learn for yourselves what I saw," Ember answered lazily. Everyone, including Elsar and Aure, stared at him in surprise.

"Ember, we didn't plan this," Aure hissed at him.

"They might as well see, Aure," Ember replied softly. Aure agreed reluctantly.

"Y-you mean, we get to go see this err – place?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Yep! Our lands are called Terredepaix, by the way," Ember informed them.

"Land of Peace?" Hermione asked questioningly. Aure nodded at her approvingly at her bit of knowledge for the language.

"Hey, don't ask me, I didn't name it!" Ember said with a shrug.

"So, skipping over the visions, what else happened?" Bill asked curiously.

"Ah, it was then that Your Highness here," Ember said, pointing to Aure, who blushed, "finally explained to me where the hell I was…"

* * *

**_Flashback_**

* * *

Harry returned to consciousness and found himself in his bed back in the bedroom he had occupied his first morning there. Harry groaned as he felt a tight pain in his back and a pounding headache. His muscles ached like his back did and he found that moving anything else was also very painful. He also found two pairs of eyes staring at him intently. Harry jumped and gave a yelp of surprise, one which he regretted immediately, for his throat was now burning and very dry and also was filled with pain.

"My apologies, Your Majesty," a voice he recognized as Lord Elsar's. "I didn't mean to startle you." Lord Elsar handed him a goblet of water, which he accepted gratefully. After he drank everything in the goblet, his vision and voice cleared up. He noticed Lord Elsar sitting on a wooden chair in front of him with Princess Aurenia sitting on his bed.

"My answers?" Harry asked croakily. Princess Aurenia waved for him to continue. "Where the hell am I? What's an Ayra? What's an Entari? _What the hell are you people?_" Princess Aurenia let out a laugh. It was a musical laugh, and Harry felt the warmth radiate from it. Lord Elsar looked close to laughing and was shaking softly with mirth.

"I do not know what one would call a 'person', but I assure you that we are inhuman," Princess Aurenia answered. Harry blinked and gaped at her. Inhuman? Lord Elsar was shaking harder. It was much too humorous to hold it in, yet he did so anyways. "I am an Ayra. Lord Elsar here is an Entari."

"What are they?" Harry asked curiously. He leaned back in his pillows and watched them eagerly.

"Ah, there are many things to tell about our race," Princess Aurenia replied. "Elves," Harry's eyes widened at this point, "are split into two…races, you could say. Though we are all elves, we believe in different things. Ayras are the 'Light' Elves. That means they prefer using magic that does not harm another's mind, body, or soul in a life-threatening way. We Ayras also wear bright clothing, mostly of gold and white color, and are like most humans in sleeping during the night and doing their activities in daylight. I believe Lord Elsar can tell you about Entaris." Princess Aurenia looked at said Entari pointedly. Lord Elsar immediately tried to compose himself, but a smile didn't leave his face.

"Entaris are the exact opposite of Ayras," Lord Elsar began. "Entaris are the 'Dark' Elves." Seeing Harry tense, he added quickly, "No, we are not supporters of the Dark Lord. He should be called Evil Lord. They are a disgrace to the word 'dark'. Entaris use all types of magic and, although we do not kill for sport, we do use torturous magic whenever our race is threatened. Entaris wear dark clothing, mostly black, silver, and gold, like the cloak you are wearing. We are what humans would call 'Night Owls'. We opt for sleeping during daylight and doing our activities in the nighttime. Although some Entaris also do some of their activities during daylight, as long as they can survive the Le Soleil Lumineux."

"Err…what is the le sol…err," Harry asked uncertainly.

"The Le Soleil Lumineux is French for 'Bright Sun'," Lord Elsar replied. "Some just call it Lumineux, which means 'bright' in French, for short. Oddly enough, the Elven language is exactly the same as French, although some have never even heard of France. Our second language is English, as you might be able to tell. All of us are taught the two languages as we are growing up."

"Where am I?"

"You are currently in the Royal Castle of the Entaris, in the city of Eirith, the Entari capital," Lord Elsar replied automatically.

"So, why am I here?" Lord Elsar sighed and looked at Princess Aurenia.

* * *

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

"I figured Princess Aurenia and Lord Elsar tell you in person," Ember said with a shrug as he stopped the story. The attention was then turned to Aure and Elsar, who were squirming uncomfortably.

"Ah, well, let's start with Ember's title, shan't we?" Elsar began. Hermione, always the quick-thinker, cut him off.

"Ember, Prince Ember of Eirith, Prince of the Entaris," Hermione recited. Ember looked at her in surprise.

"Very nice, Hermione," Elsar praised. "Let's break it down. Ember. You remember those words that formed on the back of Harry's cloak?" He received nods of affirmation. "That's his Elven name. Everyone has an Elven name. Even you all." He gestured to the Weasley family. "Eirith. Eirith is a…city, you could say, in Terredepaix. It is in the Entari lands. No elf has a last name. They use 'Name' of 'Homeland' as their titles. Sometimes, they add in 'son of' or 'daughter of' to their titles. My full title is Lord Elsar of Eirith, Head Lord of the Royal Court, Military General of the Entari Armies, son of Evedian of Etrivian and Asdereth of Adrani. Evedian was known as Thomas Black and Asdereth was known as Dorothy Black. Asdereth currently has a portrait in here, disgusting woman. I leave out the last part because Evedian and Asdereth were two of the worst Elves of their kind. I'm… very ashamed of them, you could say. They had participated in a rebellion that happened a while ago.

"Now Harry's full title is Prince Ember of Eirith, Prince of the Entaris, son of King Estrian of Eirith and Queen Azurei of Atlantis. Estrian is famous James Potter himself and his wife Azurei is just-as-famous Lily Evans Potter. So, let's see. Ember here, is a Prince, and will be crowned King in… one day, or later, if we are delayed."

"One day?" Mr. Weasley choked.

"Yep, sure am," Ember answered. "They figured that they should have my surrogate family around to see me crowned. I agreed with them. Our kingdom has been in a shambles before I came, and people were trying to claim the throne. Aure here took the throne for both races, as she was the best for the job and is also an heir to either throne she wishes. So, to keep our lands intact, Aure and myself have to be crowned King and Queen as soon as possible."

"What is your full title, Aure?" Mrs. Weasley asked the now uncomfortable Ayra.

"My full title is long, but here is the shortened version: Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, Princess of the Ayras, daughter of King Estrian of Eirith and Queen Azurei of Atlantis, sister of Prince Ember of Eirith," Aure answered. She turned to Ember, "You forgot that last part, Ember." Ember shrugged nonchalantly.

"I think we should leave them to mull over all of this," Elsar muttered in Ember's ear. Ember nodded and shared a look with Aure. Said Ayra agreed and the three of them walked out of the room silently. Elsar and Ember each grabbed hold of Ayra's arms and the three elves Melted in with the shadows of the night.

"Ron," Ginny said hoarsely. Ron turned to her with a shocked look on his face. "Catch me."

"Why?"

"This is why." Ginny fainted into Ron's arms.

"For once, I agree with Ginny." Ron leaned back on the chair he was sitting in and stared straight ahead of him with wide eyes, rocking back and forth as if insane.

"These surprises have _got_ to stop," Mr. Weasley remarked. "I'm going to lose all my hairs worrying about that young man."

"Dad, I'm not as old as you, but I agree," said Charlie. Dumbledore smiled at the lot of them and followed the trio's example and walked out of the room.

"Can't wait to see Terredepaix again, Harry, or should I say, Prince Ember," Dumbledore muttered to himself before checking on Severus Snape. "Severus, you're going to have the biggest surprise waiting for you when you wake up. I don't think it'll be a good one in your opinion though. You'll be seeing more of your cousin in the near future."

* * *

_Edited on: June 3, 2004; July 11, 2004; and July 20, 2004_

* * *

**Pronunciations, People, and Places**:

* * *

Entai – [EN-tie {as in bowtie}] – the Snape-look-a-like, who is also a Court Lord, from Etrivian. He also rules the North Eastern quarter of Terredepaix.

Enral – [EN-rol {rhymes with brawl}] – Court Lord from Ethain. He also rules the North Western quarter of Terredepaix and is the twin brother of Azra. Twins are in abundance in Terredepaix.

Ethain – [ee-THAYN] – a western Entari region. It borders the sea on the west side, Ariës {a Ayran country} on the south side, Extrendique on the east side, and Efrek on the north side. Lord Quent rules over it, and it is also part of the group of regions ruled by Lord Enral. Lord Enral himself was born in this region.

Azra – [AZ-rah] – Court Lady from Aladei. She also rules the South Western quarter of Terredepaix and is the twin sister of Ethain.

Aladei – [ah-la-DAY {as in "Have a good day."}] – a southwestern region. It borders the sea on the south side, Amber on the east side, Anrion and Altheä on the north, and Akorkiän and Arakenle on the west side. Lady Thoruntu rules over it, and it is also part of the group of regions ruled by Lady Azra. Lady Azra was born in Ethain, but was raised in Aladei.

Arwyse – [arr-WIH-see] – Court Lady from Adrani. She also rules the South Eastern quarter of Terredepaix.

Adrani – [ad-RAH-nih] – a region just south of Atlantis. It borders Hanna and Anrion to the west, Amber and Arios to the south, and Adhirin and Apmed to the east. Lady Vyent rules over it, and it is also a part of the group of regions ruled by Lady Arwyse. Lady Arwyse herself and Asdereth were born in this region.

Etrivian – [eh-TRIV-ee-yan] – a northeastern region. It borders Eometise on the west, Epcoëtt and Elgion on the south, and the sea on the north and east side. Lord Jinneque rules over it, and it is also a part of the group of regions ruled over by Lord Entai. Lord Entai himself and Evendian were born in this region.

Terredepaix – means 'Land of Peace' in the Elven language, which is equivalent to the French language. A continent of Elves high up in the clouds, disguised as a huge looming cloud itself. It is currently ruled over by Prince Ember and Princess Aurenia, who are soon to be crowned King and Queen over the entire continent. The kingdom regions of Terredepaix are Eirith and Atlantis. These regions are exactly in the middle of Terredepaix. The Royal Family heirs and heiresses are always born in Eirith or Atlantis.

Evedian – [eh-veh-DEE-yan] – the father of Lord Elsar. He is also known as Thomas Black, father or Regulus and Sirius Black and husband of Asdereth. {Note: Regulus Black is only a wizard. He did inherit the powers of an Entari, but was never taught on how to control it.}

Asdereth – [AZ-deh-reth-] – the mother of Lord Elsar. She is also known as Dorothy Black, mother of Regulus and Sirius Black and wife of Evedian. She is one of the few female Entaris. She was originally an Ayra, but turned into an Entari later in life.

Azurei – [AH-zuh-ray] – the late Queen of the Elves. She is the mother of Prince Ember and Princess Aurenia. She is also known as Lily Evans Potter, mother of Harry and Delayna Potter. She is also the wife of King Estrian. She was originally from the line of the Vaque Healers, some of the best Healers in Terredepaix and Earth.

Estrian – [ES-tri-yan] – the late King of the Elves. He is the father of Prince Ember and Princess Aurenia. He is also known as James Potter, father of Harry and Delayna Potter. He is also the husband of Queen Azurei. He is originally from the line of Royals and was a Prince before gaining the King's throne after his father's, King Evynoth's, death.

* * *

I got some help from my friend, Ana, with the French. If I happen to have the French completely wrong, please let me know, even if I miss a word or two. Thank you, Naia, for pointing out the little grammar mistakes in the French. Ana is fluent in English and French, but her grammar isn't that good in both languages. Let me know if I made a mistake in a review or e-mail me at Please put 'FRENCH MISTAKES – TWOW CHAPTER FOUR' in the subject if you are e-mailing me about it.

* * *

**Many thanks to**_: _Wynjara, n6ous {flame}, star estrella, Athenakitty, Kageri Tsukiakari, jeangab057, italksiriusonweekends, pingpong5, crazyNproud, and FOREIGNER {flame}.


	5. Chapter V

**Disclaimer**: I said it once and I will say it again: I DO NOT OWN THE HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE! I only own everything Elvish that does not already belong to another author in his/her published works. The Entaris and Ayras belong to me, and no one else! Go away, you brats with the sue papers!

* * *

Chapter Five 

* * *

"Tell me, again, _how the hell you convinced the court to let them come?_" Aure demanded from her older brother. Ember sighed and answered exasperatedly, "They allowed them to come because they are coming with _you and me_ and that we have to face the consequences if they misbehave!" Aure shook her head in disbelief.

"If I had been a Lady at the Court and not a Princess, I would've had more regulations than that," Aure remarked. It was one of these moments that she felt as if she was free of the work of having to rule a whole race of Elves. Whenever she and her brother were having a friendly banter, she always felt as if she was being her age again. She was barely an adult (having passed the age point of being counted as an adult just recently) and at her passing of age, plans of her immediate coronation started. Terredepaix needed a pair of rulers, brother and sister or husband and wife, and they needed them fast. Things were falling into disarray, since the Nobles of the Court disagreed with each other often. It didn't help that two of the nobles were siblings. It also didn't help that her brother was undergoing training as these plans had begun.

"Well no one's really asking you, are they?" Ember said dryly. Aure stuck her tongue out at him immaturely and he stuck his tongue out at her in retort.

"Sibling rivalry," Hermione said, shaking her head as she followed the two Royal Elves. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron had been allowed to come, but the others had to get back to work. Ember and Aure turned their faces at her and stuck their tongue out at her simultaneously. Ron and Ginny snickered as Hermione sniffed indignantly. The quintet was currently walking down a hallway in the Entari Palace. They had just arrived at the palace and Ginny and Ron were looking around in awe, while Hermione was trying to force information out of Aure and Ember about the Elves. Aure happily obliged but Ember just stayed quiet and listened attentively.

"Hey Harry…" Ginny started.

"It's Ember now, Gin," Ember interrupted. "Ember was my name from birth. Harry Potter… well, it is my human name, but it was only given to me when I was two months old so I could fit in the human world properly."

"No, you _will_ be Harry to us," Ginny said firmly. "We are humans, aren't we? Aren't we allowed to use your _human _name, considering, we are _humans._" Ember shrugged impassively. Aure raised his eyebrows at him and shared an amused, understanding smile with Hermione. Ginny continued, oblivious to Aure and Hermione's exchange, "So anyways, what do you do here? Being a royal must be pretty boring work."

"Sometimes," Ember answered truthfully. "But other times, it can be fun. Like, you can go on the horses around here and ride around for a bit. Bad part to that is that you always have to have a guard with you. You can't be alone these days anymore. The worst part of being a royal probably would be that we have to talk so damn formally. If you curse in any way, you will get a bad impression. The royalty are supposed to be proper, elegant, smooth, calm, composed, etcetera. Only you lot, Aure, Elsar, and the other elves in the Court have ever heard me talk this way nowadays. Other than that, I have to act all formal and elegant. You can only go without a guard if you slip out. Arwyse insists that we always keep a guard with us at all times."

"Same goes with me," Aure piped up. "I was born in England, yes, but when I went on breaks to escape from the pressure of royalty, I escape to either United States or France. They never think to look for me in the Non-Magical World. The Wizarding World perhaps they would look in, but never the Non-Magical World. I've gained a rather _interesting_ vocabulary in America. Ember here can back my statement. He's been the target of my frustration a lot."

"Why don't you just say Muggle when talking about them?" Ron asked curiously.

"Elven influence," Aure mused. "I've tried getting used to No—I mean…Muggle, but Non-Magical always sticks. That's a side effect of having to talk so formally. When you switch from formally to casually really fast, some of the vocabulary from the elegant ways sticks. I detest it. See, that's an example. Don't you think I'd used 'I don't like it' like any normal Elf would?" She grumbled on and on about Elven influence on her vocabulary and everyone, except Hermione and Ginny, who seemed genuinely interested, tuned her out.

"I realize we've never taken you to the Royal Court Meeting Hall!" Aure exclaimed suddenly. "You can meet the Lords and Ladies of the Court!"

"Most – note the word, _most_ – are really nice," Ember added. "The exception is Lord Entai. He's like the Elven version of a Snape." Ron visibly shivered at the thought. Too many Snapes for him.

"Ember and Elsar aren't too fond of him," Aure explained.

"Understatement of the Year Award goes to Princess Aurenia," Ember remarked dryly.

"So where is Sirius anyways?" Hermione asked curiously at the mention of the Grim Animagus.

"Elsar's doing business with the Ministry so he could clear his name," Ember replied. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny smiled brightly at this. The three had known the escaped – yet innocent – convict, although not as well as Ember, and had grieved for him greatly when he had died. They were all frustrated that they couldn't clear his name when he had died either.

"Here we are," Ember said, stopping in front of the great big oak doors he had entered on his second day in the Entari Palace. He turned to the three Non-Elves. "Whatever you do, don't say a word. If you do, they might use your words against you. Aure and I will talk for you. None of us can make you talk, because you have a right to remain silent. One wrong word and that could mean that you all have to go back to the Burrow." Hermione, Ron, and Ginny nodded solemnly and Ember turned around to face the doors. He raised his hood to cover his face. He raised his eyebrows at Aure and waved his hand at the door. Aure smirked at him and placed her hand on the doors. They glowed for a few seconds before blasting open.

"Your Highness, you have returned!" Lady Arwyse exclaimed, running up to Aurenia. Lady Arwyse curtsied before her before enveloping Aurenia with a warm hug.

"Of course! You did not expect me to have brutally murdered at Number 12, did you?" Aurenia said with a laugh. Ember rolled his eyes behind his hood. "Anyways, Ember is here with his friends from Grimmauld Place." Lady Arwyse noticed Ember behind Aurenia and curtsied hurriedly towards him, muttering 'good evening'. Ember nodded towards her in acknowledgement and she also enveloped him in a friendly hug.

"It is good to see you too, Lady Arwyse," Ember greeted with a grin, looking at her at arms' length.

"I am Arwy, Ember," Lady Arwyse said with a shake of her head.

"I always thought you were rather awry, and you admitting it yourself is rather refreshing," said Ember, gaining himself a slap in the back of his head. Aure laughed lightly in front of him. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were too nervous to do anything else than watch. Ember regained his composure and cocked his head to one side. "Where are the other Lord and Ladies of the Court?" Aurenia muttered something about 'long titles for groups' and Ember hid a grin coming up to his mouth.

"They were expecting you," Lady Arwyse replied. "I believe that they will arrive shortly." She waved a hand to a crescent moon-shaped table. "Why don't you take a seat?" Ember nodded and turned to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He conjured three comfortable-looking chairs in the middle of the table.

"The three of you will be interrogated by the Royal Court, so it is best if you remain silent," Ember instructed. "Aurenia and I will defend your excuse as much as possible, and if need be, I will summon Headmaster Dumbledore to help your case. Headmaster Dumbledore has always been respected among us, because he is the leader of the Wizarding World, and they trust him to tell the truth." He then leaned close, saying his next few words quietly so that Arwyse could not hear. "Although he tells the truth, he tends to stay to the facts that help your excuse." He grinned at this point and raised his voice. "All of our hoods will be raised, so it would be best if you try to remember where each member introduced is seated." The doors of the Royal Court banged open once again and it revealed the Lords of Ladies of the Court, all of their hoods raised. Aurenia raised her hood and the twins took their seats, followed by the rest of the Royal Court. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat down at the three conjured seats uncertainly. Ron noted that the seat next to Harry was missing. _'It probably belongs to Sirius,'_ he thought.

"Who are these three, Your Majesty?" an elf, from the sound of her voice, probably a female, asked. Hermione noticed that all of their voices were smooth and flowing, like the French language. They had the smallest hint of a French accent as well. All three humans noticed that the Lords and Ladies were only wearing cloaks of two colors, black and white. Hermione guessed that black-cloaked elves were the Lords, and the white-cloaked were the Ladies.

"Ah yes," Ember said, looking at the three of them, rubbing his hands in excitement. He loved these Court meetings, mostly because of the interesting battles between the Lords and Ladies when arguing a point. Some of them literally cursed each other if one of them was too stubborn to admit truth or of his/her mistake. He moved behind them, tapping each head as he spoke.

"This is Ronald Weasley, preferring to be called by the name Ron," Ember introduced Ron, tapping his nest of red hair atop his head. He switched to French. "Il est très têtu mais est plutôt effrayé une fois confronté au loin à une araignée. Il est courageux quand il défend d'autres, pourtant parfois il est effrayé pour faire face à ses craintes simples, telles que des araignées, comme dit avant." _He's very stubborn but is rather scared when faced off with a spider. He is brave when he is defending others, yet sometimes he is scared to face his simple fears, such as spiders, as said before._ Ron frowned at Harry when he talked to the others in French, for he could not understand a word of it, never hearing it said much before in his life. He thought the words flowed smoothly though, although it was said very quickly. The Lords and Ladies nodded in understanding.

"Araignées? Il a peur des araignées?" a black cloak clad Lord asked with a snort. _Spiders? He is afraid of spiders?_ Ember raised his eyebrows at him, as if daring him to continue talking.

"Lord Entai, be polite," scolded Aurenia. Said Lord quieted immediately and Ember sent a grateful smile towards his twin. He moved behind Hermione and tapped her on the head once.

"This is Hermione Granger, nicknamed 'Mione from Ron, Ginny, and myself," Ember said. He then switched to French once again. "Elle est extrêmement intelligente et a beaucoup de bon sens et de logique. Elle est fidèle à quelque croyance elle croie dedans et ne cesse pas croire jusqu'à ce que quelqu'un la convainque autrement. C'est un long processus, prenant beaucoup de jours. Elle est un combattant formidable, pourtant je pense que ses forces sont dans curatif et rechercher." _She is extremely intelligent and has much common sense and logic. She is loyal to whatever beliefs she believes in and won't stop believing until someone convinces her otherwise. This is a long process, taking many days. She is a formidable fighter, yet I think her strengths are in healing and researching._ Hermione, having spent a summer in France, understood only half of what he said, but she understood enough to know that Ember was complimenting her and explaining her strengths and weaknesses. Again, the Lords and Ladies nodded in acknowledgement.

"Personnellement, je pense qu'elle et Monsieur Weasley seraient mariés dans un proche avenir si elles étaient d'âge," Ember remarked with a chuckle. _Personally, I think she and Mister Weasley would be married in the near future if they were of age._ Hermione and Ron – having hearing his name – blushed simultaneously into a crimson color.

"And the last one?" a Lord on the far right asked with raised eyebrows.

"Patience, Lord Enral," Ember said with a smirk. Lord Enral growled a bit in response and muttered something about never being too careful about who entered the court. _'Moody will certainly like this one…'_ Ginny thought.

"This is Virginia Weasley, called Ginny by everybody except her mother, and the youngest of the Weasley bloodline," said Ember. He switched again to French, like he did before. "Mlle Weasley est la plus jeune de la famille de Weasley. Elle, comme tout le monde autrement dans sa famille de neuf membres, est têtue. Toute sa famille a les cheveux rouges. Elle est fidèle quand elle doit être, et a beaucoup de connaissance stratégique. Pas autant probablement que son frère, Ron, a, mais assez pour la maintenir vivante. Elle est tout comme Hermione, bien que pas comme hanté avec des livres en tant que 'Mione soit. Elle est tout comme la Reine Azurei, la mère à Aurenia et à moi-même, têtu, fier, et animé." _Miss Weasley is the youngest of the Weasley family. She, like everybody else in her nine-member family, is stubborn. All of her family has red hair. She is loyal when she needs to be, and has much strategic knowledge. Probably not as much as her brother, Ron, has, but enough to keep her alive. She is much like Hermione, although not as obsessed with books as 'Mione is. She is much like Queen Azurei, the mother to Aurenia and myself, stubborn, proud, and lively._

"So this is the girl you have been talking about a lot recently," Lady Arwyse teased. Ember didn't blush, but he looked away in embarrassment. Ginny's cheeks turned red. Ron snickered.

"Ginny told me that you and Hermione were having a snog-fest last summer because you both were miserable, eh?" Ember shot at Ron. Ron glared at a now giggling Ginny.

"Prince Ember, mind your language, please!" Lady Azra said sternly. Ember backed down slightly.

"Excusez-moi," said Ember. _ Excuse me. _

"All right, fire away," Ginny said. She saw that the Lords and Ladies were desperately controlling their questions. Ember shot her a look, silencing her immediately.

"What are your relations to Prince Ember?" asked Lady Azra.

"Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are my three closest _acquaintances_," Ember answered for them, saying the last word is a sort of mocking way to 'make his language flow'.

"Je pense que Mlle Weasley est plus qu'un ami..." _ I think Miss Weasley is more than a friend… _whispered Lady Azra to her brother, Lord Enral. Her brother nodded in agreement. Ember shot them a glare, hearing their quiet words.

"What the hell are they doing here?" spat Lord Entai. Everyone in the room turned to glare at him and he stared stonily back. Ember struggled to keep his patience as he answered in English.

"They are here because they had been worried for me, and they are curious to see our world," he calmed down slightly and said dryly, "Oh and do watch your language, Lord Entai." Aurenia stood up to break the tense silence that dawned upon them. She cleared her throat. She glanced at the Lords and Ladies to check his or her decision. She cleared her throat once more and spoke.

"Comme princesse de la cour, je donne la permission de Mlle Weasley, de Monsieur Weasley, et de Mlle Granger d'errer librement parmi Terredepaix en tant qu'eux svp. S'ils violent une loi, prince Ember a offre pour prendre le blâme de leurs actions et sera puni à la place," announced Aurenia. _ As princess of the court, I give Miss Weasley, Mister Weasley, and Miss Granger permission to roam freely among Terredepaix as they please. If they break a law, Prince Ember has volunteered to take the blame of their actions and will be punished instead._ "You are free to go. Ember, do I need to remind you about your coronation day tomorrow at midnight? And I will see you at my coronation tomorrow at noon?" Ember nodded and led Ginny, Hermione, and Ron out of the room. Once they were out of earshot, Ember breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that back there, I didn't mean to explode," apologized Ember. He rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly.

"Are they always like that?" Ron asked.

"No, it's because Lord Entai has a grudge against non-elves," explained Ember. "He thinks everyone, except fellow elves, are below him. Unfortunately, that means wizards too. That's why he was wary of me when I entered. He didn't want to be disrespectful because he knew full well that Aure could have his head for it. Aure would never do it, but you can never be too careful, y'know? Days are harsh nowadays." Ginny gazed at Ember in awe and admiration. He had obviously matured in his time here.

"So how'd you get to be so powerful in a matter of a few weeks and a year?" Hermione asked the question that was in everybody's mind that knew Ember to be alive. Ember fingered something under his cloak and his eyes looked far away. He was brought out of his daze when Hermione repeated the question louder.

"Do you remember the Blank Book that Elsar had spotted me investigating on my second day here?" Hermione nodded vigorously, eager to learn.

"That Blank Book is one of the few remaining in this world," began Ember. "It can be any type of book. It's like a sort of index, or a search engine."

"Search engine?" asked Ron curiously.

"Muggle thing," answered Ember and Hermione at the same time.

"I'd like to see it…" Hermione said suggestively. Ember shrugged and stopped.

"Be _right_ back." He disappeared into the wall and the two Weasleys panicked. Hermione was calm and looked at the wall thoughtfully. Ember emerged from the wall once again.

"You Melted?" Hermione asked matter-of-factly. Ember nodded absently.

"I swear, if you were one of the Researchers here in the castle, you'd be the Head of them all," Ember muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Hermione to hear. Hermione smiled proudly.

"Okay, well, Aure and I are going to show you around Terredepaix. I'll show you around the Entari lands first, that'll last an hour, you'll have lunch, and then Aure will show you around the Ayra lands, lasting also an hour. Lunch should last about an hour, and you'll be back at home around…2:00 in the afternoon. I can't have any non-Entaris spent the night here in the Entari Palace because your magic would react horribly to the Dark Magic that is used here. I haven't been outside in the Lumineux in a very long time…"

"Lumineux… means 'bright', right?" Ginny asked slowly. Ember beamed at her proudly.

"We call the Le Soleil Lumineux just by Lumineux because it takes too much tongue energy to say the whole name. Like Muggles use common names for plants and animals instead of their scientific names. I suggest the three of you take French lessons or you will be so confused on what we say. Almost everybody here speaks French. Some speak English, of course. American English, I'm afraid. Although Mum and Dad spoke in a British accent, ever since six or so decades ago, the rulers of Terredepaix spoke with a rough American accent. That was because King Eor, my great-grandfather on my father's side, had been raised in America until he was fit to regain the throne, like me. Only in my case, I was raised in the United Kingdom. We have so much alike in Earth and here. Did I mention that we are right above Earth?"

"Oh real – wait, wait, wait! _Above Earth?_" Hermione shrieked. Everybody knew of her fear of heights, which was why she never attempted to play Quidditch.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that tiny little fact…" Ember said meekly as Hermione fumed at him. Ember regained his composure and spoke calmly once more. "Ah yes, well, let's continue our tour, shan't we?" And they did. Ember showed them to every nook and cranny of the Entari Castle. He showed a map so like the Marauders' Map. It had been created by him, Elsar, and Aure and mapped out the whole of the Elven World, except that they could pinpoint exact locations instead of having millions of little dots pop all over the place. "The three of us are still working on it, because we're trying to get the Ayra Palace to show up right. Elsar and I can't do it because it can only be tracked with Light Magic, but we also don't want to mix the Light Magic with our Dark Magic. Complicated, yes, but it takes time. Probably will take the next three weeks or so to get that problem figured out."

Ember led them out to the grounds, where he showed the training grounds, in which Ron, Hermione, and Ginny found many Entari warriors training vigorously. All of them stopped whatever they were doing and bowed to Ember before resuming their training. Ember nodded to each of them in acknowledgement. It seemed to Ginny that her Harry had already gained the respect of the elves. _'My Harry? Now where did that come from…'_ Ginny thought. She was brought out of her reverie when Ember performed on the training equipment. The first up was the archery targets. Ember managed to get 7 out of 10 bull's eyes.

"I don't really have a thing for bows, that's more like Aure's specialty," he explained. He entered the next training area and surprised the other three when the dummy that had looked very much fake had suddenly sprung to life and attacked Ember with vigor. Ember managed to block and evade all the attacks before finally breaking through and slashing the dummy into four pieces. He muttered a quick spell and the dummy was sewn back together and returned to its lifeless form.

"There's much more, but I don't really have the time for more of them," said the Entari. Ron pleaded with him to show him just one last, because it was a great show after all, and Ember walked up to another set of targets. They popped out all over the place. Ember just stood calmly in the middle of all of them and watched each with darting eyes. With one sweep, he managed to make four bull's eyes in a row with gleaming silver daggers. With another sweep, he finished off the other five remaining targets. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny gaped at him openly.

"Daggers are my specialty," he said with pride. He summoned each silver dagger back to him one-by-one, catching each by the blade, yet not scratching himself one bit.

"You have _got_ to teach me that," said Ron in awe. Ember answered, "Sure thing!" He handed them each a golden amulet. "There's a button on the very back that you can push to talk to me. It's like a walkie-talkie, only that it's in the amulet. If you are in a serious life-threatening emergency, find some blood, anyone's blood, and stick the amulet into it. It will give me a sort of alert and I can come to you immediately."

"What's a walkie-talkie?" asked Ginny.

"Muggle thing," Ember said distractedly. "Alright, why don't we visit the region of Ethain, Lord Enral's birthplace? All right now, this'll feel really awkward, just don't panic and you'll be okay. Hang on to my shoulders." They did so obediently and it was then that they experienced their first Melting.

"'Kay, you all can wander for a bit. If you need help, or if you want to buy something, use your new amulets. I'll be at least five inches from you if it's an emergency in a jiffy."

"Jiffy?"

"Sorry, Aure is rubbing off on me… She's probably the only Ayra that speaks with an American accent." Ember turned away and walked with Ron to the armory while Hermione and Ginny walked off together to the clothing store.

"Alright, now Ron, walk around the room for a little while and when you feel pulled to any weapon at all, let me know," instructed Ember. Ron did so obediently and walked around the room, ignoring everything but a particular sword. It had a silver blade and a gold tip with a pure black handle. It was curved slightly at the end, and the tip glowed brightly in the dark room.

"Ah, so the Goldstar chose you," said Ember, appearing beside Ron all of a sudden. Ron jumped and nearly dropped the sword.

"This one is called the Goldstar. I see you're going to be a damn good sword fighter. If you had as much practice as I've had this past year, you'd already be exceeding me. Sword fighting and archery aren't my best spots. I'm best at daggers, hand-to-hand, and magic. I'm better at sword fighting than I am at archery, but I have no doubt that you would exceed me if you had as much time to train as I had." Ron blushed at Ember's compliments.

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**Meanwhile…**

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Hermione and Ginny walked into the clothing store and picked out a few clothes from the spinning racks. The clothes in there, oddly for them, were mostly for men. There were very few clothes for women, as there were very few female Entaris.

Ginny felt her amulet heat up and she immediately grabbed it in a panic. She then heard a voice through it.

"Gin, 'Mione, go outside the clothing store quickly. This is an emergency." Hermione and Ginny rushed out of the clothing store, meeting with Ron and Harry.

"I need you all to keep up with me as fast as you can. I'm going to be moving very fast through the shadows. Your first Melting experience was slow." Without another word, Harry grabbed an arm from each person and Melted away at an alarming rate. For Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, the darkness didn't feel right. It felt…uncomfortable to travel in. Ember Melted through to the Ayra Palace and instantly dropped the three's arms. They were in a bright room, a contrast to the Entari lands. It looked oddly like the Hospital Wing from Hogwarts.

"This was the place I first landed in," explained Ember hurriedly. "We're in the Ayra Palace right now. They have the better Medical Halls here." Hermione guessed that Medical Hall was their fancy word for Hospital Wing. They spotted Aure coming in the room and Ember had a whispered conversation with her in French. Her expression changed from worry, to horror and surprise, then to understanding. She nodded and walked over to the three clueless humans.

"I'll be showing you the rest of the tour," she said, no emotion showing in her voice. "Ember has urgent things he needs to tend to, and he apologizes for the inconvenience. Now if you'll come with me…?" She waved her hand suggestively.

"I'm going with Harry," said Ginny firmly.

"So am I," said Ron and Hermione in unison.

"No," Aure said with authority ringing in her voice. "Ember can't have any distractions. He needs to face this alone or he won't get it right. Now, either you stay here and mope all day, or come with me on the tour of Terredepaix. Yes or no?" All three nodded reluctantly and clung onto her outstretched hand.

"Alright, I'm guessing Ember already gave you all your first Melting experience?" Aure asked.

"Yes, but it didn't exactly feel right," commented Hermione.

"Hmm, interesting," said Aure thoughtfully. "Alright, hold on tight." Once again, they Melted away, only it was brightness that surrounded them, instead of the darkness that succumbed them when Melting with Ember. It felt more comfortable this way, and their worries melted away with the light.

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**In the Medical Hall…**

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Ember sat on the edge of a white bed, blinking his eyes rapidly, trying to get used to the bright light. Elsar was sitting up on that same white bed, nursing a broken leg, broken arm, and bruises all over.

"What happened, Sirius?" Ember asked, using Elsar's old name.

"It's a long story, Harry," said Elsar.

"I've got time."

"Okay, I was at the Ministry, like I said I was. I was arguing with the Minister and the Aurors. They gave me my parchment to signify I'm free—"

"You're free?" Ember exclaimed.

"Yes I am, I'm a free man!" said Elsar with a chuckle. Ember grinned widely.

"Well anyways, I was about to walk out when I heard a loud explosion coming from the top. So naturally, I Melted away to the scene. It turns out that it was at the Department of Mysteries…"

"Damned place."

"… Shut up and let me continue. Anyways, Voldemort and his Inner Circle members were in there clutching this scroll and the Collier de Puissance."

"No…"

"Yes. They were holding the Collier. I don't know how they got a hold of it. Anyways, they sucked all the Entari magic out of me, and I was left to my Wizard magic. I managed to stun quite a few of them before I ran out of Wandless Magic and Apparated here. It's so damn hard to Apparate here, you know that? Now, I need some explanations. How come that damned Collier made me lose all my Entari magic?"

"Alright, I'm going to sound like a textbook these next few sentences. The Collier de Pussiance means 'Necklace/Amulet of Power' in Elvish. When in the hands of a magical user, the Collier can be used to take away one's magic. For example, if it is in the hands of Voldemort, then he can take away anyone's Wizarding powers if he chooses to. He can take away any type of magic he wishes, but he can only take one type. For example, he can take away one's Elvish powers but if one has Elvish and Wizarding powers, then that person will still have his or her Wizarding powers."

"Yep, textbook, all right."

"Not my fault you asked."

"So what're we going to do about it?"

"First of all, you have to heal. Then, we'll talk to the Royal Court and the rest of Terredepaix. You, me, and Aure have speeches to make now." Elsar groaned.

"_More_ speeches? I'm tired of giving those!"

"Well you're Head Lord. Live with it."

"What if I don't wanna live with it?"

"Then you can go back to Limbo."

"Shit. Did you have to remind me?"

"Anything to get you to shut up about dying. I missed you, you prat."

"Yep, you still have some British blood in there."

"Didn't I just say for you to shut up?"

"Yeah, but it's not like I listen to that."

"I could have your head for that, you know."

"I know, but you won't, because you love your godfather too much."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Stabbed me through the heart, Harry."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Whatever, we gotta get Aure, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron. They're touring."

"They actually find this place interesting?"

"Not my fault you're boring."

"Alright, well, let's head off shan't we?"

"Off we go!"

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_Edited on: June 21, 2004_

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**Many Thanks To: **Pingpong5, Melwasul, athenakitty, OrionTheHunter, VB, brad king of the harry potter world, Elven Warrior1, YankeeTorp, SilverKnight7, Starlight Dreams, Wynjara, Alyanna, naja, jeangab057, Aredhel Tasartir, SlythsRule, and Andromeda's kitty.

**Thank you for the reviews. They are very much appreciated.**

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**Quickie Note: I have horrible French pronunciation, so I can't put up pronunciations on French terms.**

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**Pronunciations, People, and Places**:

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Collier de Pussiance – means Necklace/Collar of Power. It looks like an everyday black collar choker, except it has blood red spikes coming off of it. It's considered a Dark item, and was created by an advisor of King Evynoth to help contain prisoners.

Le Soleil Lumineux – means 'The Bright Sun'. Exactly what it implies. Earth and Terredepaix share the same sun. It is often called just 'Lumineux', meaning 'Bright', for short.

Royal Courts, The – These are rather large 'throne room' of sorts for the Royal Council. There are two of these rooms, one in the Entari Palace and the other in the Ayra Castle. In these Courts, Region Ladies and Lords come and report problems that affect their own respectful regions. Barons and Baronesses rule over the different lands in each region. They report to the Region Ladies and Lords, and in turn, the Region Ladies and Lords report to the Council. Citizens of Eirith and Atlantis also come to these Courts to report their problems. The Royal Council holds meetings in these rooms often. Humans that come to visit have to get permission from the Royal Council themselves to be able to freely travel around Terredepaix.


	6. Chapter VI

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Disclaimer: Do I have to do this? [Yes you do!] Damn…Okay, well, here's the deal. I don't own the Harry Potter universe, but I do own the Entaris and Ayras and their world, unless someone has already taken my idea and published it (damn you!). All right, well, on with the story…

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**QUICKIE NOTE**: This isn't one of my better chapters. Too much dialogue in my opinion, though if I change it too much, it will affect the plot too much for my liking. Keep reading though. The next chapter is my best one so far.

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_Dedicated to my fellow writer and pen-pal, Kirstin, who is always just a click and a few taps on the keyboard away._

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Chapter Six

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"That was speech number three, region name was Equinox, and the attendance number was 2,137, with seating that seats… 3,000," said Elsar to the Court Scribe, Econas. Econas was writing furiously fast but neatly. Elsar tapped the amulet around his neck and a ghostly figure of Ember appeared. It looked like he was talking and shaking hands with somebody. Elsar cleared his throat. Ember, who indeed had been exchanging courtesies with Baroness Delia, swiveled his head around and faced the ghostly figure of Elsar. He excused himself from the Baroness and faced Elsar. 

"What number speech is this?" asked Elsar curiously. Ember groaned.

"Number four, region name Extrendique, and the attendance number was 562, with seating of 800," Ember replied almost mechanically.

"I thought there were exactly 500 cities and towns in Extrendique. What of the extra 62?" Elsar inquired.

"Mostly historians who seem to think that the speeches we make will go down in history and normal everyday citizens," replied Ember. He could see Elsar mutter the information to the Court Scribe. Elsar heard Ember groan. "I didn't know there were so many cities… there were so many Barons and Baronesses there! This one was an open speech. That's one of the reasons there were so many."

"Just five more speeches on my part, at least," said Ember glumly.

"And six on mine," said Elsar, none the more cheerful.

"At least you only have to do seven, I have to do eight!" Ember exclaimed.

"You were the one who suggested it."

"I didn't suggest it, it's _required_."

"Where did it say that?"

"We can't get the message to everybody if we don't do these damn speeches, Elsar! Terredpaix is a HUGE world! We don't have enough time to send a messenger to every region, and then have the Lord or Lady ruling there to get messengers out to all of their cities. It would be too late by then! It takes a week for every single messenger to reach their destination and probably another week to get their report back. It would take too long. Plus, we're few of the fastest Melters in Terredepaix. What takes a messenger one week is a few hours for us."

"Well sheesh, don't have to blow your gasket on me." Ember rolled his eyes and cut off the connection temporarily.

"I'm starting to get a headache," Ember muttered to himself.

"Let us all mourn, our Highness is getting a headache," said a voice behind him. Ember turned around and faced the last person he wanted to see. Lord Entai.

"Lord Entai, you do know I could have you disemboweled for that particular comment?" Ember said with his eyebrows raised.

"I do, but your nature is not such," Lord Entai retorted, his all-too-familiar smirk appearing on his oily face. Ember tried, his headache increasing by the second, to keep his temper in check. It wouldn't do to have the role model lose his temper in public.

"Oh, but I could always _change_ my nature," Ember said in a sickly sweet voice.

"You wouldn't," Lord Entai said firmly, although his voice was slightly quivering, ever so slightly that it would take someone with very good ears to hear it in his voice. Ember, having "very good ears" indeed, heard it and smiled disgustingly sweeter. Lord Entai was a proud man and mean to boot, but that didn't mean that he wasn't under the Prince-Soon-To-Be-King's rule.

"Oh, just you watch me," Ember said pleasantly. Lord Entai's eyes flashed before he disappeared in a whirl of his cloak.

"Whoa, déjà vu…" Ember murmured to himself as he shook his head. "I'm slowly losing my sanity, and it all started with Aure…"

"And me," Lord Elsar piped up. It seemed that he had been listening in on the conversation and had, as discreetly as Elvenly possible, turned on the amulet.

"Oh how could we _ever_ forget you?" Ember said, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"I don't know, you tell me," Lord Elsar retorted, ignoring his sarcasm.

"Aren't you just chipper today?" Ember remarked, turning away from the illusion of his godfather.

"Why yes, I am!" Elsar said before disconnecting. Ember groaned. _If only we had more of those damn amulets then I wouldn't have to do this. But noooo, Aurenia just _had _to protest that it 'wasn't safe'. At least it's faster!_

* * *

"_ARWYS--E!_" yelled Aurenia as her speech finished and her fake smile disappeared along with the crowd. 

"Yes?" Lady Arwyse said calmly. Aurenia took a deep breath to steady her voice.

"WHY DID I HAVE TO DO NINE LONG SPEECHES?!" screamed Aurenia. She knew she was being _very_ childish, but she couldn't help it! Nine speeches! Nine!

"Your language, Your Majesty," said Lady Arwyse with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Let me rephrase it: Pourquoi est-ce que j'ai obtenu les la plupart des discours hors des deux de nous?" _Why did I get the most speeches out of the two of us? _

"Ah, Your Grace, it was you who suggested to your brother to make speeches instead of sending messengers. And you chose these particular regions."

"I did not know that six of those regions had grown so much and that they would ask so many questions!"

"'Tis not a problem of mine, is it now?"

"You know, Arwy, sometimes, you can get so annoying."

"I know, Your Highness. I try, and please do watch your language. It sounds so disgustingly rough." Aurenia rolled her eyes and turned away from her.

"I wonder how Ember is doing at the moment…"

"Oh, I'm sure your brother is absolutely fine and contently making speeches, unlike you are," said Lady Arwyse.

"Oh, I'm sure he's _contently_ making speeches," said Aurenia dryly.

"I am glad you agree with me," Lady Arwyse said with approval, obviously missing the sarcasm.

"Sometimes, dear Arwy, you are so _slow_."

"Your language, Princess!"

"Oh, grow up!" cried Aurenia in exasperation. Lady Arwyse sniffed disapprovingly and walked away with a huff. Aurenia was close to a breakdown at that point. She did everything she could, trying to keep her anger in check. It wasn't exactly that easy. She had apparently inherited the hot temper of both her parents. Ember was more patient these days, and she envied him for keeping control.

"Princess Aurenia?" squeaked a voice behind her. Aurenia was about to blow off her steam at whoever it was, but when she turned around, she met the gaze of a little elf girl. Her gaze softened as the little elf shrank back in fear.

"'Tis okay, little one," Aurenia said soothingly, holding out her hand. The little girl clasped the hand tightly and hung onto her for dear life.

"Please get me away from here, Your Majesty!" the little girl cried desperately. Aurenia raised her eyebrows slightly. Not that she wanted them to or anything, but elves in Terredepaix usually was very polite in stating their requests and were very subtle in stating them, instead of the bluntness that this little elfling showed. She was getting rather used to, and annoyed by, it, and it surprised her when the little girl was so blunt. She shook it off and bent down on one knee to the child's height.

"What is your name, little one?" Aurenia asked kindly as she wiped the tears from the little girl's face.

"Araine, Princess Aurenia," the girl said, trembling at her spot.

"Araine, why do you want me to take you away from here?" Aurenia probed gently.

"M-my father is c-coming home today," Araine answered nervously, her hands shaking with fear. Aurenia's gaze hardened. _Tell me it's not who I think it is…_ she thought, dreading the girl's answer to her next question.

"What about your father?" asked Aurenia, letting a little of her anger loose. Araine shrank back slightly and Aurenia's gaze softened.

"He is a horrible man, Princess! He…he…" Araine looked at her surroundings, as if checking to see if her father was around to see her utter her next words. "He beats me regularly. I'm not quite sure what he means by this, but he said that he will—" Araine gulped. "He said that I would be 'accompanying' him with Mother," Araine whispered. She recoiled immediately, looking around her frantically. Aurenia stood up to her full height and picked up the girl in her arms, cradling her softly. _Ember was beat regularly as well…_ Aurenia thought sadly. She suddenly grew angry. _But not at this age… She seems very young!_

"How old are you, Araine?" Aurenia asked, composing her emotions.

"Ten years old, ma'am," Araine answered, her tears still falling freely. Aurenia noticed that the girl was tiring as well. Araine was only wearing a small, neat blue dress and matching shoes. Her eyes were a deep forest green and had red hair. _Looks a lot like…_ Aurenia swallowed a lump forming in her throat. Araine looked much like her mother, Queen Azurei. Green eyes and red hair was a common combination for girls in Terredepaix though…

"And your full title?"

"Araine of Hanna, daughter of Eshdavid of Eirith and Aquaziora of Atlantis." Aurenia stopped in her tracks. _Aquaziora and Eshdavid…what a __pleasant__ surprise. So my dear second cousin decided to have a child, eh? So little Araine is my third cousin…_

"Aquaziora of Atlantis, you say?" Aurenia asked curiously. Araine nodded weakly. Aurenia frowned lightly before picking up Araine in her arms. The ten-year-old seemed so light and small for her age, much like her older brother had once been. Araine started to whimper in a terrified way.

"Don't worry, child, I will not hurt you," Aurenia whispered soothingly. Araine stopped whimpering, but her lips still trembled. Soon, the little girl fell asleep in Aurenia's arms, cuddling up to her chest. _Ember, we have an extra visitor today,_ she thought in her head, sending her thoughts to her twin in a way only twin siblings could.

_**Who, might I ask, is visiting? And you should be glad that I decided to open our link right this moment, because you wouldn't have talked to me at all this day. And of course, you can't get enough of your older brother so you have to talk to me every single moment you feel like a damsel in distress, waiting for me to save you, me in the role of the honorable big brother.**_

**_And cue the blink from the confused little sister. T'what? To answer your question, a little girl, Araine of Hanna, I believe, daughter of Eshdavid of Eirith and Aquaziora of Atlantis_.** Aurenia answered.

**_Aquaziora and Eshdavid? My, my, what a __wonderful__ surprise._**

**_Yes, that was my reaction as well_.** Aurenia answered grimly. _**What should we do, Em? She is still very innocent and naïve, and she hates her father.**_

_**She's got very much reason to. Eshdavid isn't exactly the best father nor elf int he world, ain't he? Hey! You should be her mum!**_

**_Yes, yes, I know. And how can I take care of her when I still have to take care of __you?_** Aurenia rolled her eyes. _**Yes, Eshdavid wasn't exactly the best of Entaris.**_

_**What is it with you and understatements?**_ Ember answered, irritated. _**And besides, Aquaziora wasn't the best Ayra either.**_

_**Now you're the one with the understatements.**_

_**Hey, it's talent, kid. Live.**_

_**I'm not a kid, Em! It's not my fault that our parents don't know the meaning of 'Ladies first.'**_

_**'Whatever, Aure. Anyways, I'm on my last speech, so I'll—'**_

_**Ember?**_ Aure thought frantically as her twin cut off their conversation abruptly. He wasn't one to do that. **_Ember… This isn't funny!_ **After receiving no answer, she yelled out (in her head, mind you, she'd be labeled as insane if she actually yelled it out in front of all the Barons and Baronesses), _**EMBER!**_ Still no answer. She began to get frantic. Araine stirred in her arms and Aurenia gulped audibly. She growled in frustration and Melted to one of the Ayra Castle's many guest rooms. She gently tucked the small child in the bed and called a servant by the name of Variette.

"If she wakes, bathe and clothe her," she ordered Variette. "Then, give her a tour of the Palace. After that, tell Lady Arwyse to take care of her and to not probe into the little girl's past. Also, tell Lady Arwyse to take the rest of my speeches for the day. If I don't return within a week, tell Lady Arwyse that I requested Lord Enral's presence. If he is not available, request for Lord Entai. They will know what happened." She conjured a scroll of parchment and wrote: _**Take this little girl into the Entari Castle and put her in the room above my guest room. Make sure she is well fed and clothed properly. She is not to leave the Entari Palace.**_ She signed her name on it with fancy handwriting and rolled it up. She handed it to Variette. "Give them this scroll. Do you understand everything, Variette?"

"Y-yes ma'am," Variette stuttered slightly. Aurenia nodded curtly and handed the elf ten gold pieces. She wouldn't usually do this but Araine was very important to her forming plan. And plus, the little girl was innocent, with parents that were horribly cruel. And Variette needed a tip anyways. _I should raise the wages of servants…_

"And do not tell anyone of what you are requested to do," Aurenia added. "If you do, I will have to have you beheaded. This is very important business." Aurenia knew she wouldn't do it, but the threat would ensure the tasks to be done.

"Y-yes, Y-your Highness," Variette stammered before pulling up a stool to watch over Araine. Aurenia smiled slightly before Melting to the Entari Palace. It was a difficult task, because there was barely any light in the large palace. She passed a passing servant and stopped them.

"Do you know where Prince Ember last made his speech?" she asked politely. The servant shook his head furiously before rushing off as Aurenia dismissed him. She growled in a frustrated way.

"Em, you sure have a talent for worrying me!" she muttered as she walked to the Court Room.

* * *

_Whatever Aure. Anyways, I'm on my last speech, so I'll— _Ember's words were cut short as he felt a fist smack onto the back of his head. He felt a stabbing pain and the last thought in his mind before he blacked out was, _Great, I'm going to have a big headache when I wake up…What is up with me and understatements?…_

* * *

**Author's Note** When Harry is in the Elven World, he will be Ember. Otherwise, he will be called Harry. This is just to hint you. This is the same with ALL of the elves. All of the elves have a human name and an elven name. Same goes with wizards, witches, and Muggles alike.

* * *

He woke up, his body aching. It was an odd feeling, to have his body ache painfully. To say the pain was welcomed was a rather insane thought, but the very boring time he had spent in Terredepaix took away his last shred of pain. Much as he hated to admit it, he had enjoyed a struggle, a challenge. Making speeches and such didn't challenge him at all. This new adventure thrilled him, although it stressed him much to have to risk lives once again. 

"Ah, le prince se réveille," said a cold voice behind him. _[Ah, the prince awakes.]_ Harry strained his neck, and felt the throbbing headache he had predicted a while ago. "Je suis heureux que je sois digne de votre présence." _[I am happy that I would be worthy of your presence.] _The man behind him said with a mock bow. Harry scowled. The air felt dirtier here. He was definitely back on Earth once again. Seeing as the man spoke French, and the ironic French moustache above the man's lips, he figured he was somewhere in France.

Seeing Harry's silence, the man switched to English. "My name is Divadesh Thirei," the man said with a heavy accent. The name struck a cord somewhere in Harry's brain, but he couldn't figure it out. Divadesh looked very Elvish-like, although his ears were not pointed.

"Harry Potter," Harry answered curtly. Divadesh looked at him curiously before calling his partner. With the gift of superb hearing from his lineage, he heard the exchange between the two.

"Are you sure he's the one, Hathui?" Divadesh hissed.

"Yes, he is the one," the other man, Hathui, answered. "He is called Harry Potter in the human world, according to Master Voldemort." Harry's eyebrows shot up at the last part. Suddenly, he came to a revelation. Divadesh…Eshdavid…Thirei…Eirith! Eshdavid of Eirith! Of course! And Hathui…sounds like…Ethui? Ethiu? Ethua? Ethau? Ethae! Ethae of Etrivian! The two former Lords had worked hard against him when he had come to power and he had puzzled over the fact that they suddenly ceased their rebellions. _Probably joined Voldemort then,_ thought Harry bitterly. Harry faked confusion.

"Where am I?" he asked, being careful to keep his tone strictly confused and terrified, as Voldemort and his minions had expected him to be at this point.

"You are in France, Mr. Potter," Divadesh Thirei answered coldly. Harry faked a flinch at the tone Divadesh had expected to be cold and powerful. To Harry, it sounded like he was rather desperate to be on the winning side. Harry mentally snorted at it. Divadesh ranted on and on about how he was going to be given to 'Master Voldemort' as a gift and how 'Master Voldemort' would reward him for his good services. Harry, getting tired of the insane, but quite amusing words, interrupted him, all pretense of pretending gone.

"You know, Eshdavid, Thirei isn't exactly a French last name," he said coolly. He noticed the man's ears flush red. He added, "And you turned to Riddle when your elvish powers were taken away? My, my, I couldn't have expected less." Eshdavid growled audibly. Harry was on a roll, and continued, "Riddle is a good-for-nothing bastard after all. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine _you_ of all people to join him. Be his servant."

"I am not his servant!" Eshdavid screamed in rage. "We are working together as partners! Allies! He and I are of the same power!"

"Temper, Eshdavid," Harry replied tauntingly. He was shaking his finger at him like a mother would to her child when the child was being mischievous. He was mentally cheering himself on in his head. _Ah the thrill of insulting a Deyer. An Entari Deyer at that. El and Aure would get a kick out of this._

"I'll get you, Ember," Eshdavid threatened, looming closer with each word. "Once Master Voldemort allows it, I will use the Collier and take away your magic. Then what will you have to turn to? Nothing I tell you! NOTHING!" He left the room cackling his head off at the sick thought. Harry blinked.

"Right," he said after a moment. "Gone insane, that one. But he does have a point with the Collier. Now how to get out of this hell…" He slid out of bed, and immediately felt a large twang of pain erupt in the back of his head. He swayed on the spot for a moment. "I knew I'd have a headache…" He muttered incoherent curses as he stumbled to the door. He blinked a great many times before controlling his vision and walked straighter, although occasionally stumbled. He sneaked out the door and fled down the nearest hallway stealthily.

"Now really, Riddle. I'd expect you to have more security than _that_," he murmured as he slipped through a door. His eyes brightened at the sight of his bow, sword, and quiver of arrows. Apparently, they had not noticed the many daggers he had hidden all over his body, as he had been taught at his "few weeks" in Terredepaix.

"Those lessons actually paid off," he muttered to himself after strapping on his weapons as quickly as he could. He looked around him. There were weapons everywhere in this room. He looked at each of them curiously. _Guns_, he thought, as he looked upon the black weapon in front of him. His smile widened. Oh yes, he was going to have a lot of fun. He conjured a bag (that would only last a day before disappearing) and stuffed as many weapons as he could into it. He slung it over his shoulder and grinned wickedly. Oh he was going to have a lot of fun, indeed.

He dashed out of the room hurriedly. As he turned the corner, he ran smack into Eshdavid. Harry's eyes widened in shock and he ran as fast as he could towards the nearest shadow. Eshdavid whipped out a gun and shot messily. Unfortunately for Harry, the shot hit on his arm. He flinched slightly in pain, and without thinking, he hurled himself into the shadow and collapsed as his Melting trip ended. He looked around him as he got up. The headache he had been blocking was back, full force, and the wound in his arm was pounding with pain. He gazed around at his surroundings. He saw a familiar lake outside and gasped. He was at Hogwarts. His vision started to blur. The last thing he saw before he fainted was a flash of black hair before he collapsed from the pain.

* * *

_Edited on July 21, 2004; July 22, 2004; and August 28, 2004_

* * *

Hehe, American terms in this chapter! I had a request to translate them for people who don't understand. I'm not sure which is fully American and which isn't, for I haven't been to any other country other than America, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines. I haven't really had that much contact with people, outside of America and Philippines, since I've lived in both countries for over six years, so I don't know which others wouldn't understand and which others won't. 

"Get a kick out of this" meaning get a laugh out of the situation.

"Blow a gasket" meaning to throw a fit or snap at somebody in anger.

"You are so slow," means being slow to catch sarcasm or a particular joke.

* * *

**QUICK NOTE**: Only those born of noble lineage have names that start with 'E' or 'A'. Entari nobility start with E's and Ayra nobility start with 'A'. Nobility means Lords/Ladies of the Court and any member of the Royal Family. Barons and Baronesses are not exactly nobility, in my story, anyways. There's more history on that in my side-story.

* * *

**QUICK NOTE2**: Towns are more equal to villages and cities are more equal to towns. Each town and city has a Baron or Baroness, though not all of them have luxurious houses.

* * *

**Pronunciations, People, and Places:**

* * *

Equinox – [eh-keeh-NOH] – a region in the eastern area of Terredepaix. It borders the sea on the east, Elgion and Epcoëtt on the north, Elchucco on the west, and Etuidor on the south. 

Extrendique – [ex-tren-DEEQ] – a region in the central area of Terredepaix. It borders Efrek and Ethain on the west, Elokitt on the north, Edinion and Eirith on the east, and Hanna, Aries, and a bit of Atlantis on the south.

Econas – [eh-coh-NAHZ] – the Court Scribe. He is in charge of writing all reports on speeches, meetings, and other things that happen with the Royal Council.

Araine – [ah-rah-YIH-nay] – elven daughter of Eshdavid of Eirith and Aquaziora of Atlantis.

Aquaziora – [aqua-ZEE-yoh-rah] – She was one of the leaders of the rebellion after Harry had been taken to Terredepaix for the first time. Although the rebellion was quelled, she and her family had disappeared without a trace before the rebellion was done so, leaving their rebels leaderless.

Eshdavid – [EHJ-doh-veed] – He was the other leader of the rebellion. Husband of Aquaziora and was exiled from Terredepaix after the rebellion was brought down.

Ethae – [eh-THAY] – He was a Lord and was serving as a rebel under Eshdavid during the rebellion. He, too, had disappeared along with Eshdavid and Aquaziora.

* * *

_**Many thanks to:**_

MiruSedna, athenakitty, Starlight Dreams, Melwasul, pingpong5, Elven Warrior1, crazyNproud, insanechildfanfic, Flying Wings, jeangab057, Aredhel Tasartir, Yana5, Basilisssk, Arctic Wolf2, and lily4james.

Please read and review. I love to hear how you think my story is. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Flames are…accepted, but I prefer constructive criticism. If you wish to criticize my story, do so, but at least write a suggestion. Thanks!


	7. Chapter VII

**_Disclaimer_**: _Not mine. Hehe, you should know by now that 'tisn't… Well… I do own Terredepaix though. Except, I don't own the French language. Awww… Such a beautiful language too! My Elven language is almost exactly the same as French with a few tweaks here and there… So I own the name, but not the language! Weird, huh?_

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_Dedicated to my buddy Ana for helping me with the French seen in past chapters and future chapters. Although there is barely any French in this chapter, since she is on vacation to France until July 7th…_

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**WARNING:** Abnormally long chapter up! This chapter is much longer than I would usually post, but it covers a lot. It is also the beginning of Phase Two in 'The Plan', which you will hear about plenty in this chapter. As of this point, everything is PG-13. Language will get stronger, a lot more violence, a lot more evil little things that are not for evil little kids! (Not really evil, but very annoying…) Anyways, on with the story!

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Chapter Seven 

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Snape growled audibly as he strode down the corridors of Hogwarts rapidly. Damn that McGonnagal! Why did that woman have to be so damn convincing? _For the safety of the students, my arse!_ He thought savagely. The Transfiguration teacher had asked him to _kindly_ command his next generation of Slytherins to not be so menacing to other Quidditch teams during games. _More like to win the Cup for your bloody team!_ He was overreacting, and he knew it, but it gave him a good reason to scowl. He snarled at the thought and walked even faster, his steps echoing amongst the empty halls.

Or so it seemed.

He stumbled, literally, upon something on the stone floor. He cursed and regained his composure, kneeling down to see what the blasted thing was. As he knelt down, his knees came in contact with a gooey red substance. _Blood_. He shivered, and looked at the figure before him. He straightened and conjured a stretcher floating in mid-air and levitated the figure onto it. He couldn't see the figure's face, but he undoubtedly had black hair, for it matched the figure's robes. Snape didn't think it was a student, for the figure was pretty tall to be one. It was obvious that this person had a fatal injury, for the amount of blood that was on the stone floor. He stood up in a quick motion, and moved through the halls as though he was gliding, from the dramatic wave his robes were giving.

Snape blasted through the Hospital Wing, fortunately not literally, and placed the figure onto a bed. Madame Pomfrey immediately bustled towards him in a hurry, starting to check the figure's basic health and questioning Snape as well.

"Where'd you find the poor dear, Professor?" she asked, pressing a hand towards the figure's pale forehead. Snape didn't answer as Madame Pomfrey continued her tirade. "He's losing much blood. He might die soon from such a loss. Fetch the Headmaster, will you? He will need to see this!" Snape complied as the witch said; for it was obvious she knew more on the subject of Healing than he did. He rode up the moving staircase to the Headmaster's office and knocked on the door as he reached it.

"Come in." It was obviously Dumbledore. No one else could radiate as much power as the old wizard did in his voice with two simple words. Snape opened the door hurriedly and quickly told Dumbledore a shortened version of what had happened. Dumbledore was up and moving in flash, moving through the corridors as if he were a blur. If Snape was not a fast walker, he was sure even the old man could beat him in walking even if he had a head start. Snape opened the door to the Hospital Wing for Dumbledore and left soon afterwards. It wasn't his place to deal with such things. Pomfrey had most of the potions she needed after all, and his presence would only be a hindrance.

---

Pain. All he felt was pain. He'd suffered through worse, but that fact alone did not help hinder the pain. He still felt it, the throbbing in his arm and head. Slowly, he pulled himself out of consciousness. His vision swam before him. He blinked a few times and his vision righted itself. Harry felt himself looking up at the face of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Hello, Albus, how are you this fine day?" he managed to croak. Dumbledore chuckled. As Harry's vision began to get to its normal state, he realized why it was so bright. He groaned. The Hospital Wing again. Was there ever going to be a year he hadn't spent at least a day with some type of injury in the place? It was like when he first met Aurenia in the Ayra Castle Medical Ward. Speaking of Aurenia…

"Oh damn!" he cursed out loud. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. Harry grinned slightly apologetically. "Albus, will you use the amulet around my neck and whisper Aurenia into it? Since I can't move my arm…" He tried moving his arm to show him, but the old man shook his head and picked up the amulet the had been placed atop his cloak on the side table next to him.

"Don't worry about it, my dear boy," Dumbledore assured him, running his hands curiously over the amulet. "I took care of letting Princess Aurenia know about your current condition. She is expecting you back in Terredepaix tomorrow for your delayed coronation. Your arm is perfectly fine. That shot that you had gotten missed the bone, but did go through a vein. Madame Pomfrey fixed that for you a moment ago. You should be good as new tomorrow after the potion finishes its work. I asked Madame Pomfrey if she knew of a way to speed the process up so that you could make it to your coronation looking as if nothing had happened at all." Harry murmured his thanks and leaned back into the pillows. Dumbledore placed the amulet back on the table and watched him curiously, sitting down on a wooden stool placed next to the bed.

"Albus, can you invite the whole Hogwarts staff, the Weasleys, Remus, the Longbottoms, and the families of my friends?" Harry requested. He knew of Dumbledore's ways of being able to tell who were friends with whom. It was the reason he was Headmaster after all. He had a way of figuring out many things. "They're all I need for family and friends from the Human Realm." He grimaced. "Even Snape. I think it'll be quite amusing to watch him interact with the Lords and Ladies…especially Lord Entai." He smirked as he thought of the similarities between the two. "Snape will be very much interested in the workings of Entari Magic. And our potions."

"I will, child," Dumbledore replied fondly, chuckling as Harry rambled on about the inevitable Snape-Entai meeting. "It is quite interesting to think about Lord Entai and Professor Snape's similarities. I'm sure we could find many of them and try to list them. It would be far too long a list to be able to make, though, without one of us getting impatient and losing our tempers. Rest, now. You have to be strong enough to pass Madame Pomfrey's checkups tomorrow so you can attend your own coronation. And, Harry, my boy, that would be _Professor_ Snape, as it is his proper title. He is your elder, and you must treat him as such." Harry managed a weak smile before falling back into the white fluffy pillows, tiredly sleeping, his last thought being, _'Ah, but Professor, I am technically older than him…'_

---

Aurenia watched Araine interact with others the little girl's age quietly. She had adopted the little girl like a younger sister, or a daughter, after she had found her trembling, frightened, after a particular speech. Aurenia's face was blank, as it always was when she was in deep thought or absolute shock. She could not express those two expressions… because… well, she wasn't supposed to. She wasn't supposed to show that she was thinking hard, or shocked by any news that messengers would bring from all over Terredepaix. It was a large land with many problems, and she was expected to be able to expect all things happening and act quickly upon them. It tired her to keep up this habit, but it was harder work to express shock and deep thought. She settled for the easier way out of her situation, making her face absolutely blank.

Araine was so innocent and naïve, that Aurenia felt rather guilty of putting her in the Plan. The Plan was a huge set plan on the next twenty years that she, Elsar, Ember had made for the following years. If any trouble came up, the three of them would instantly bring out the Plan and change a few details. The Royal Court was asked for opinions most of the time, but the whole Plan was never out and read fully for anyone but the ruling trio. Each Lord and Lady knew a part of it, but had been told that they each knew the same part of the Plan, so never questioned each other. When asking for an opinion on a matter, they would ask the particular Lord/Lady who knew that part of the Plan.

Araine was another pawn in the game. Aurenia felt guilty in making a little girl a pawn, since she was naïve about the world. But this had to be done for the sake of peace, however lasting it may be. They had to fight for a lasting peace, although there would a chance it would end soon. Although it would be better if they had just left the Human World alone, many of their fellow Elves were joining Voldemort's legion and they could very well lead Voldemort to Terredepaix. Terredepaix meant 'Land of Peace' in Elvish, or what Humans would call 'French'. She didn't want to change the name to Terredeguerre **[A/N1] **any time soon.

Aurenia sighed and continued watching Araine play noisily with Baroness Sapientia's daughter, Jinna. She'd delay Araine's part as much as possible, however small it was. Eshdavid and Aquaziora would just have to wait if they wanted their daughter back. Even if they did, Aurenia sure as hell wouldn't give her back to them. Horrible monsters of Elves would probably harm the little girl again, just because she wanted to be saved from her own parents. Aurenia called Araine back and held the little girl's hand tightly when she returned.

"Araine, say goodbye to Jinna and return here, understand?" Aurenia said softly. "We have to get home, I have a meeting to go to with Lord Elsar to visit Prince Ember. You can meet them there; that's what you wanted, right? You wanted to meet more royalty! But we have to leave, okay?" Araine bit her bottom lip, torn with the decision. "You may play with Jinna during the next few suns, but I have to leave and I can't leave you here on your own. Come now, say farewell to Jinna, I must leave." Araine nodded reluctantly and hugged Jinna goodbye with a little tear in her eye.

"Hold my hand, Araine," Aurenia whispered softly. There was no other way to get through to Araine. She had obviously been yelled at too many times to listen to loud voices. "We're Melting to the palace now. I will leave you with Lady Arwyse, agreed?" Araine nodded reluctantly. "Afterwards, when I bring Lord Elsar and Prince Ember, you can meet them, is that fine?"

"Yes, Your Highness," she said in a small voice as a reply.

"'Tis only Aurenia, Araine," replied Aurenia, kneeling down. "I'll be taking care of you for quite a while, and it does me no justice to be called 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty' while you are around. Only Aurenia, please, little one." Araine nodded silently. The girl rarely spoke these days. Aurenia sighed. She would be a tough girl to manage, even if she was quiet. Aurenia stood up to her full height – which was rather tall for a woman, a trait she had inherited from her uncle on her father's side – and concentrated on a particular ray of light in front of her and her passenger. Araine stood quietly next to her, breathing evenly, her heart at its normal rate. The ray of light shone a little brighter as Aurenia stepped forward carefully, Araine stumbling forward behind her. She Melted into the light, feeling her body slowly break apart with the light and mesh with it like lava. She thought of her destination – which was the Royal Court located in the Entari Palace – and felt her body slowly come back together, piece by piece, with the light. The light engulfed her whole body before retreating and she took one more step, her presence and Araine's now in the dark castle of the Entaris.

She pulled at Araine's arm gently, startling the girl, but getting her attention nonetheless. Aurenia held onto Araine's hand as she walked briskly down the corridors she had memorized, Araine nearly running after her. She stopped in front of the Royal Court doors and spoke to the man waiting to announce them, telling him her shortened title and Araine's full title. The man started slightly at the mention of Eshdavid and Aquaziora's names and stared at the little girl curiously.

"Is she really…?" the man started, but Aurenia interrupted.

"I would speak to you more, good sir, but we are in a hurry," Araine said patiently. "Yes, she is their child, and a possible heir to the throne if I do not conceive. Will you please announce us?" The man nodded slightly and stepped inside the court dutifully, calling out their respective titles. Aurenia clasped Araine's hand tightly and hurried in, not caring if she lost her composure as she entered the Court of Nobles.

Lady Arwyse, recognizing her princess anywhere, immediately hurried up to her and released Araine of her hold. Lady Arwyse and the other Lords and Ladies bowed or curtsied and Aurenia acknowledged them with a slight tilt of her head in respect. Only Elsar was missing, and he already knew what he was to do. Lady Arwyse led the child away, whispering comforting words to her. Aurenia nodded at her and Lady Arwyse understood what was to be done, hurrying away to complete her task.

"Ember," she began in a loud, clear voice, "has been unexpectedly injured, according to Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts. He had taken a shot to the shoulder, and is in the Hospital Wing of the Hogwarts Castle. Ember knows what is to be done next. Phase Two begins now. Lord Entai, I need to speak with three of your best spies. Lord Enral, gather all of the troops in Etrivian and bring them to a Military Meeting that is to be conducted by yourself and Lord Elsar tonight in Kasew, Etrivian. You know what to tell them. Lady Azra, meet with all of your Field Healers and prepare them for battle. Make sure all of your people are composed and prepared. All of them are to attend the coronation ceremony tomorrow. Lady Arwyse is gathering all of the press that is to attend the coronation tomorrow and is telling them what to do now, and she is also gathering the troops of Aladei and Atlantis, and bringing them to a Military Meeting conducted by Lady Azra and myself. Take haste, now, my friends. The lives of many are in your hands." With that, each bowed or curtsied once more and left briskly, their jaws set in determination.

Phase Two was perhaps one of the more dangerous of the Phases. There were four of them. Each Phase was predicted, depending on what Ember, Elsar, and Aurenia knew of Voldemort, the Ministry, their Elves, and other little things. Most of it was accurate; some undecided, and other events could be delayed or cancelled altogether. When new unexpected obstacles appeared that would be dangerous to the Plan, the three of them would immediately meet once again and plan around the obstacle, to make it seem as if they had planned that it would happen all along. Elves never worked very well when their leaders weren't determined or composed, something they had learned from past mistakes of their ancestors. The Plan helped them calm and it would make Elves concentrate better, not worrying about the little mistakes. The Plan was also built to help keep as many civilians and warriors alive as possible. Some people were pawns in the Plan, manipulated so that others would remain safe, like Araine. Others were told what was going on. It was very complicated.

Aurenia touched the amulet around her neck and whispered Elsar's full title into it, summoning a vision of Elsar. She looked up and gazed at the blurry outline of the Military Leader in front of her. "El, I've just started Phase Two. You are fully healed, I am guessing?"

"Correct," the illusion of Elsar said. "Just a little tired, but fully healed. Where do you need me? I didn't memorize this part of the Plan."

"You are to conduct a meeting with the troops in Etrivian," Aurenia began, "and are to station them on the proper places and give them a 'pep talk' of sorts. You are to calm their nerves, however slightly, and also to give them last-minute training on how to handle a bow and arrow and/or a sword without their magic, for Voldemort is sure to take away our Elven magic as soon as he is in battle. Send a fourth of the Kingdom Warriors to Etrivian, and a fourth to Aladei to help in the battle there. Keep half of the Kingdom warriors in the coronation ceremony, guised as normal Elves, and tell them to Cloud their weapons. Ember and I guessed that from what we know of Voldemort, he would be planning multiple attacks at the same time. He has gathered many followers over the past year that has passed in Earth. We guessed that he would plan attacks at the edge of our lands, meaning most probably Aladei and Etrivian, since those two are the most populated border regions. He would also be attacking the center of our lands, meaning Eirith and Atlantis, with a smaller force, hoping to surprise us by attacking us at our 'weakest point', which would mean during the coronation ceremony."

"Got it all planned out, haven't you?" the blurry illusion of Elsar joked, waving slightly at someone at his side.

"It took us a bloody week to figure _every_ part of this part of the Phase over," Aurenia answered, irritated at the memory. "Ember wouldn't let me send half of the troops to Aladei, arguing that Etrivian needed it too. 'Racial equality' he says. Etrivian has twice as many troops as Aladei!"

"Calm yourself, Aure, we can't have an angry ruler during Phase Two, now can't we?" Elsar jested. Aurenia rolled her eyes exasperatedly but elicited a chuckle anyways. She calmed considerably.

"Like I said to the others, take haste, Elsar," Aurenia said seriously, the future Queen inside of her coming back in full force. "Make sure to tell Ember to get rested and ready for the ceremony if you happen to come by him. That boy is simply uncontrollable…"

"That's why he's a ruler, Aure, no one is supposed to be able to control him," Elsar answered. "He's supposed to be able to control people using gentle ways. That he does already, as if naturally, in fact. We'll get through this war." Aurenia smiled in spite of her previous comment. "And anyways, he's your older brother. Who are you to call him 'boy'?" Aurenia gave a small laugh before cutting off their connection, ready to do her part.

---

The following morning, Harry woke abruptly. He had been dreaming of sorts, and random thoughts began. As soon as they began, they stopped, and he thought nothing for a moment, before slowly organizing his mind. Eshdavid had captured him for a little while, and then as he escaped, someone fired a shot into his shoulder before he Melted to Hogwarts. Where he had been found by someone (he couldn't tell… he was unconscious) and brought into the Hospital Wing, where he went into consciousness for a little while, talked with Dumbledore about the… coronation…

"DAMN!" he shouted, shooting upwards. He nearly toppled off his bed as he hurried to get dressed to go back to the Entari Palace. A slight pain shot up in his shoulder. Madame Pomphrey did well! Luckily, the woman was not in the Hospital Wing at the moment, as it was still pretty early, and she must have dozed off in her office for a little while. He fumbled with the hood and slid it over his head, waving his hand and leaving a note for Madame Pomphrey and Professor Dumbledore behind to explain where he had gone.

He clasped his cloak, making sure to keep the hood over his head, and walked around. There were very few shadows in this room. He was awake, but he couldn't remember how to make a porte portique **[A/N1]** off the top of his head, as he was still rather sleepy, and stepped outside. His eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly crashed into someone, smaller than a professor, undoubtedly a student. It was Ginny Weasley.

Surrounding her was a group of closer friends. He couldn't recall any names of theirs, and froze. Ginny most probably recognized him. His guess was right as Ginny's eyes widened in astonishment and gasped out, "Ha—I mean, Prince Ember?" At the mention of his formal title, Harry smiled politely and removed his cloak, confirming Ginny's suspicions. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement as Ginny curtsied, rather gracefully at that. Her friends struggled to follow her example.

"No time to lose, Gin," Harry said, looking around hurriedly. "I have to be at my coronation this afternoon, at around 6:00 PM. Your family is invited, of course. Bring your friends – only a few, mind you, and I'd prefer if they didn't bring their families. I must hurry. There's a short reunion before the coronation for me and, unfortunately, I have to be dressed in full battle garb for a Royal." He scowled at the thought, and then smiled. "Your parents will tell you more about it, I'm sure. If you need more information, ask Dumbledore. If you _still_ need more information, just come to the bloody coronation. Catch you later!" He waved and brushed past time politely, Melting with the shadows behind them. Ginny's friends gasped at the scene.

"Shit, Ginny, who was that?" Ginny's American friend – who had moved to Britain when she was ten – Maria, asked, awed. "He's a head taller than us and damn hot!"

"One of my best friends, Prince Ember," Ginny answered, staring at the spot Harry had Melted through.

"Best friends with a _royal_? Damn, Ginny, you got it good!" Maria exclaimed. She turned to the other two and they ran off. They had been late for class while Maria and Ginny had class in half an hour. "That guy was hot!"

"What?" Ginny asked, confused.

"You know, Prince Ember," Maria said slowly, as if talking to a toddler. "I bet he's older than us though." She swooned slightly. "Very dreamy. I'm definitely coming. Can I?"

"'Course!" Ginny cried. "Why not? You should see the other Entaris there, Maria. Though none could compete with—" Ginny stopped, blushing at what she was about to say. Maria had been told of the Elves, and Ginny was intrigued to find out that Maria's grandmother had been an Ayra. Maria's eyes widened and a broad grin spread across her face, her jaw dropping.

"You're in love with a Prince!" Maria exclaimed, jumping up and down from excitement. Ginny blushed darkly. "What's worse is…" she looked at Ginny once more, "you've known him for a very long time…" she assessed Ginny's movements, her eyes widening more, if possible, "and he's your brother's best friend! Oh Merlin, this is rich!" Ginny's face matched her hair, if it was even possible.

"Maria, can we talk about something else?" Ginny mumbled, leading her rambling friend away to the grounds, still blushing a rather dark scarlet color. _'I hope she doesn't spill it out to Harry…'_

"My grandmother is definitely coming, she's an Ayra!" she continued her tirade. "If she finds out her granddaughter is coming, she most certainly is coming too. Mother is only half-Ayra, and she's interested in Royals, but she can't get off work. Gran said that little one-time use amulets are going to be available in stores all over Terr – er, what was it again?"

"Terredepaix," Ginny answered automatically.

"Yeah, what you said. Gran said that they would be free, and the limit to each family would be two. She's getting one for Mother, since Mother has to work. They're supposed to be a – a projectile sort of thing that gives you a full scoop on the ceremony. Like a Muggle te – tele…vision? Yeah, I think that's it.

"Coronations are always very grand, Ginny. Royals are dressed so beautifully. When you told me about Elves and I asked Gran about it, she showed me a picture of the Princess. She's the twin of the Prince. Not that I fancy women, but she is like, really beautiful! No wonder she's Princess! I have her picture with me. Gran said that if I should ever meet any of the Royal or the Royal family's friends, I should ask to see the Prince and Princess. Gran said they are most kind. She had served in the court in the past as the lady-in-waiting for Queen Azurei, their mother. Do you want to see the Princess's picture? I have a picture of the Prince too. She said she had asked the Princess to keep a few pictures of the Royal Family, since the Princess was very interested in the Muggle World and kept taking them. You want to see them?" Ginny stopped her sigh of relief. Maria had a tendency to keep on talking at a rant, and it was very hard to keep listening. Maria took the picture out from her pocket.

"Hey, Ginny, Maria!" yelled a voice from behind them. Ginny turned to face George and Fred Weasley, who had been visiting the castle on Order business for a week. "What do you have in your hands?" They stopped and looked inquisitively at the picture.

"It's a picture of Princess Aurenia," she said proudly, showing it off. Fred and George looked at it, stunned.

"That's how she looks like?" Fred asked in disbelief. George whistled appreciatively.

"If I hadn't been in love and married with Alicia, then I'd probably chase her," George remarked. He turned to his brother, a wide grin on his face. "Hey Fred, you could!" The twins had changed over the years, their hair no longer so short, but not long. It was indeed long enough to cover their eyes at times, but not long enough to look like Snape. Fred slapped George over the head.

"Did you happen to forget that I'm engaged to Angelina?" Fred said, his eyebrows rising. "But she is attractive…" Fred's eyes looked around, alarmed. "Don't tell Angelina I said that!"

"But…" George started, a grin spreading across his face.

"Charlie is—" Fred continued, a broad grin also blossoming on his face.

"—still very much—"

"—free."

"She does look his age," Ginny remarked. Maria agreed, nodding fervently. She too had a mischievous smile on.

"Perfect!" Fred and George said simultaneously.

"He's going to be coming to the reunion for Harry," Ginny mused. "It's before the coronation. He could most certainly meet Aurenia then, knowing Harry, he'd introduce Aurenia to everybody." Fred and George gave each a high-five, and rubbed their hands together excitedly. "If Harry asks who you got that information from, don't tell him it was me," Ginny added hurriedly.

"Misters Weasley, just the twins I am looking for," said a calm, yet cheerful voice behind them. The twins gulped nervously and spun around, sighing in relief when they found the Headmaster walking rather briskly for his age towards them.

"Fred and George, I was wondering if you might convey a message to Charlie Weasley for me?" Dumbledore requested politely. The twins nodded, rather confused. "I was wondering if you could ask Charlie to bring his Swedish Snort-Snout – Saphira, was it? – and to ride it to Hogwarts. Princess Aurenia requested that he does, for, I quote, 'There aren't enough Elves that have power to Melt everyone to Terredepaix and dragons are the next best option.' She is currently preparing the coronation, so she asked me to convey the message in some way possible."

"But it's going to take years for Charlie to bring his Short-Snout here!" Fred exclaimed.

"Actually, Charlie arrived at the Burrow last night with his Saphira," Ginny interrupted. The twins rounded on her. "Charlie fire-called me last night when he had arrived," she explained simply.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "Now, if you would, Misters Weasley? Princess Aurenia sends her thanks in advance." Fred and George nodded, still rather befuddled and walked off, murmuring to themselves. Maria rounded on Ginny.

"You're going to be riding dragonback!" Maria exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait!" The two walked off again, babbling on incessantly about the upcoming coronation.

---

Aurenia nodded thoughtfully as one of the designers suggested something different for the color scheme. Ember was insistent on keeping to the four colors of the Elven kingdom: gold, silver, black, and white. She looked around her in approval and nodded her consent to the designer as she started changing a tapestry's position.

"Au…re…I'm…back," a voice panted from behind her. Aurenia spun around and let out a delighted squeal, earning her looks of disapproval from Lady Arwyse, who was nearby, which she ignored. She ran up to the lone dark figure at the doorway and lunged into the awaiting arms of her twin brother.

"You worried the hell out of me, Ember," she whispered fiercely in his ear. She let go of him and examined his posture. He was tired, but pretty much not in pain.

"There ended up to be too many Humans that are needed to be Melted here for us to handle, so I had to ask Dumbledore if they had a dragon-tamer that was in any way relation to any of them," Aurenia explained as she walked beside her brother, examining the whole room. It was a large room, and could fit more than the Great Hall could. "Dumbledore suggested a man named… Charlie Weasley, I think, and he's bringing his Swedish Short-Snout. I'm going to be leading them into Terredepaix with Lord Enral. Great man, Dumbledore. I envy you for knowing him so well, Em." Ember smiled.

"Ember, you need to change into your outfit," Aurenia reprimanded her brother. Her brother started protesting that she wasn't wearing her outfit either. He was right. Aurenia was only wearing a simple tunic and breeches that were green and cream in color, and the boots on her feet were far from elegant. "I have to lead them into Terredepaix, and I very well can't do it in a fancy dress. You, however, are staying on the ground, so you don't need to stay in a dirty outfit. Go on." After successfully shooing off her brother, Aurenia stepped out of the Ceremonial Room and Melted outside to the Atlantis villages. She greeted each villager that passed her with a nod and a smile and stopped at the village library, where she knew Lord Enral would be. Lord Enral loved to read, although he was a great Magic Warrior.

"Lord Enral!" Aurenia called out. A figure to her left moved, and she saw the shape of Lord Enral loom closer. "We have to leave, we're picking up the a few Weasley kids and the Granger girl." Lord Enral sighed and stood from where he was. He was obviously engrossed in his book. She grabbed his arm and literally had to drag him with her to Melt to the Earth. Elsar had given her a mental picture of what Hogwarts had looked like since she had never been there before and because Elsar had spent more than seven years at the place. So, of course, she expected to be beautiful.

What she didn't expect was actually seeing the magnificent Hogwarts herself at her peak.

Hogwarts was absolutely _glowing_. Even the stone, that seemed to be colored so dull, seemed to positively radiate with light. She smiled brightly at the view. The lake that Ember had described so vividly seemed to live up to Ember's descriptions. It sparkled in the morning sun and small ripples of waves traveled across it. A warm wind blew, blowing her hair out of her face. It also made the Hogwarts flag at the very topmost part of the castle flutter a little bit, adding to the scene. Even the Forest, which her remaining relatives had described as enticingly dark, intrigued her. Of course, things that were dark had always enthralled Ember and Elsar. Aurenia always was fond of things that were bright. That was probably the reason Ember and Elsar were Entaris, and she was an Ayra.

"Wow," Aurenia said in awe, gazing around her in amazement. "I never expected this."

"Neither did I," Lord Enral muttered behind her, also staring at his surroundings. "The air is not as clean as our world's, but it's as clean as it gets here…"

"Come," Aurenia said, breaking out of her trance, grasping Lord Enral's wrist tightly. She pulled him to the grounds and let go as soon as she was positive that he was following. Lord Enral tended to act… below his age. "Headmaster Dumbledore said to meet the children in the 'Quidditch' field, whatever that is. Ember was always fond of that… thing… whatever it is…" She wandered across the grounds and heard a mighty roar sound from just ahead and great burst of flame issue forth into the sky. Figuring that was the dragon, she gripped Lord Enral's arm and dashed across the grounds. Lord Enral struggled to catch up with the smaller Elf and winced as Aurenia tightened her grip. The Ayra had too much strength for her own good. Perhaps not as much strength as him, but she had quite a lot for an Ayra.

She kept on dragging him relentlessly through the grounds until they rounded one last hill. As they did so, they gazed, enchanted, at a silvery-blue dragon which kept on breathing blue fire, as if excited. It was standing in the middle of a grassy field with stands and towers surrounding it. Bright red poles with hoops at the very top were erected at the farthest end of the field, and the farthest end directly opposite of it.

Aurenia grinned broadly and raced down the hill quickly. Lord Enral followed behind at a more reasonable pace. Aurenia gasped at the sheer power that the dragon emitted as she neared it. She smiled delightedly as the Swedish Short-Snout turned its – her – gaze to her. The dragon looked startled for a minute before moving slightly in a bow towards her. Aurenia curtsied, and when she looked up, the dragon's head was still lowered.

**Your Majesty, it is an honor to be in your presence**. Aurenia jumped as what seemed to be the dragon's voice entered her head. **My name is Saphira, Your Highness.**

_'Please, it is just Aurenia, Lady Dragon.'_ Aurenia tried to talk in her head. To her delight, it worked, as Saphira seemed to smile in a dragon-like way. Aurenia raised her hood cautiously, so as not to attract attention.

**I am here with my guardian, Charlie, Your Grace_._** Aurenia felt a stab of annoyance as Saphira insisted to call her in the 'proper way' but quickly pushed it down. Saphira thought it would be best, and however Aurenia felt at it, they would continue. **He is here, Your Highness_._** Aurenia whirled around to face 'Charlie'.

"How did you do that?" 'Charlie' asked, astonished. He looked to be older than her – in Human Years – by about seven years and was taller than her. Perhaps as tall as Elsar, give or take a few. His hair was long enough so that some would fall over his eyes in a rather attractive way. Aurenia blinked at that thought, but dismissed it immediately.

"Actually, I don't know," Aurenia replied honestly. "I was hoping you could tell me."

"Charlie Weasley," the man introduced himself, holding his hand out. Aurenia blinked and figured it would be a handshake like male Elves did. She shook his hand uncertainly.

"Delayna," she said, planning not to reveal her Elven identity until the reunion. She didn't want them to act formal around her. She motioned for Lord Enral to lift his hood up as well, finding that his hood was already up. Their voices were muffled and their faces out of the line of vision. She waved her hand slightly, making her hood unable to fall until she wished it to. She maintained eye contact with Lord Enral for a bit, asking him to go along with the charade. "My Lord Enral and I are to guide you all on dragonback for His Highness Prince Ember and Her Majesty Princess Aurenia." She refrained from grimacing at using her own title. Charlie bowed to Lord Enral unsurely.

"Lady Delayna," Charlie began.

"Please, Monsieur Weasley, I am not a Lady," Aurenia cut off. "'Tis just Delayna."

"I see. Lord Enral, Delayna, how exactly are we supposed to go to Terredepaix on dragonback?" Charlie asked curiously, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not positive if Saphira, my dragon here, can endure that much height from what I've heard from Hermione. She said that it would be quite a ways up."

"Ah, you underestimate your dragon, Charlie," Lord Enral spoke for the first time. "Dragons have very much endurance for heights. They cannot pass our atmosphere however, for they need air like you and I. You Humans just didn't test out the theory."

"Lord Enral, please, we are to be kind," Aurenia interrupted. Charlie was confused on how a common Elf could speak to a Lord like Lord Enral, but took it as a sign that they could if they wanted to. His attention turned back to 'Delayna', who had continued speaking. "Prince Ember… Harry Potter in this world, I'm thinking… is currently unavailable. He sends his best wishes to the trip. We have attempted this many times before, but I cannot guarantee that you will not land without, at least, a bruise. The landing is quite hard to master…"

"_Delayna_, you are frightening them," Lord Enral chastised. "It is quite an enjoyable experience, in fact. That is, if no one is afraid of heights…"

"Actually, Hermione Granger is quite frightened of it, as I've heard, but no one else," Aurenia piped up rather unnecessarily.

"Alright, should I bring them here?" Charlie said.

"That would be wonderful, yes," Aurenia said with a smile. "Tell Professor Dumbledore this message, if you will." Charlie nodded. "'On July 31, 1980, an unknown birth certificate was made.' He'll understand. He always does." Charlie shook his head in confirmation, confused and slightly curious as he went to fetch the others.

"Why _did_ you change your name?" Lord Elsar murmured inquisitively as soon as Charlie was out of earshot.

"I didn't want them to treat me as if I was a Princess," Aurenia answered quietly. It was the plain truth. Most of these people here in the Human World that she knew already treated her like a Royal, and probably based her upon their own version of a Royal, Minister… Fudge, was it? Ember had told her of the man's idiocy and snorted mentally. He messed up too much. It would save his dignity a lot if he would just resign and let another take over instead of trying to fix things. "And honestly, I wasn't lying. My name is Delayna. My Human name that is." That was also a true fact. "And, I'm not a Lady, precisely. I am a _Princess._"

On her Human birth certificate, she was named Delayna Liathane Potter **[A/N2]**, the first name was the same of her mother's best friend, and her middle name came from Athane the Great **[A/N3]** and the first two letters in her mother's first name. The Elven title she carried around was – one needed to take a deep breath to be able to say it aloud – Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, Princess of the Ayra Elves, daughter of King Estrian of Eirith and Queen Azurei of Atlantis, sister to Prince Ember of Eirith. There were more titles to add to that, but that was the general gist of it.

"Ah. I understand," Lord Enral's voice broke through her reverie. _'No you don't,'_ Aurenia thought amusedly. No, he didn't, but he wanted to pretend like he did, so it would make her feel better. Ah well. Aurenia waved a hand and two rather comfortable chairs appeared. They both sat, waiting patiently as Charlie fetched the students to go to Terredepaix. A few moments later, they spotted four figures traipsing out of the castle, walking steadily towards their direction.

"I'm inferring that that would be Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, and Misters Weasley," Lord Enral commented. "Took them long enough…" he grumbled.

"Lord Enral!" Aurenia gasped. It was rarely that Lord Enral would be impatient, since he was the calm, patient type that Aurenia envied. He just shrugged and stood up. Aurenia followed his actions and waved the chairs away. The chairs disappeared with a small _pop!_

As soon as the four arrived, Aurenia gave them a hard look, warning them to 'Don't ask' and ushered them onto Saphira, who lowered her back dutifully. They were mounted on a rather comfortable and thick blanket with simple cloth handles. Aurenia guessed that they had put a Temporary Sticking Charm on the blanket to prevent others from falling off all of a sudden. Just in case, she told Lord Enral to watch each child. Aurenia was seated in front, with Charlie very close right behind her. She was pointing out the directions and half-controlling Saphira, while Charlie was the one that Saphira fully listened to. Ginny was behind them, followed by Ron, Hermione, and then Lord Elsar. Hermione was placed towards the back so that Lord Elsar could watch her closely. Aurenia had warned him that the girl was afraid of heights. Lord Elsar was towards the back because he was most experienced and he could easily jump after anybody who had fallen.

Saphira, seeing everyone was secure behind her, stood to her full height once again. Aurenia tensed. She hated take-offs and landings. She loved being in the air, though, and seeing the sights below her, or look at the fluffy, white clouds. Saphira stiffened, flapping her almost transparent wings next to her. Dust began to gather around them as Saphira lifted, slowly and gently into the sky. Aurenia smiled at Charlie as he clasped her shoulder as a motion of comfort. Saphira raised herself higher and started flying straight ahead.

"Straight ahead for about two hundred miles, gain at least 1,000 feet of longitude each ten miles!" **[A/N4]** Aurenia shouted over the wind. Saphira inclined her head quickly before concentrating. "Charlie, there is an invisible bubble for oxygen, right?" Aurenia felt Charlie move his head as a nod behind her and exhaled in relief. It wouldn't do for them not to be able to breathe.

The flight didn't take too long. Saphira was a very strong dragon and her wings were undoubtedly practiced in flying a great many miles. Soon, Charlie, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny spotted a distant blur. It wasn't a colorful blur, but the image of clouds seemed to… falter slightly at certain points as if hiding something. When Charlie pointed it out to Aurenia, she shouted,

"That's Terredepaix! Hiding in the clouds! It's not that large, really! About as big as the Americas combined, and then each race of Elves takes a half of it!"

"Why didn't they merge together?" Hermione shouted over the raging wind all around them. Even though there was an oxygen bubble around them, that didn't stop the wind from blowing in. They saw why the handles were there and used them quite well.

"Too many differences! They tried merging together once, but their morals in magic and everyday life are too different to gather in one area!" Aurenia replied. "The Entaris use 'Dark' and 'Light' Magic alike, while Ayras are more comfortable with 'Light' Magic and rarely use 'Dark' Magic. Entaris sleep during the day; Ayras sleep during the night, like most humans. Most Ayras are female. Most Entaris are male. Sure, they can mate together. We're fine with that. It's been done many, many times over history. But Elves mostly mate humans. Their children either turn out to be Fully Human, Half-Elven, or Fully Elven. It's randomness." Hermione nodded, satisfied with the answer. She still wasn't comfortable being so high up in the air, but she grew used to it. It wasn't a good thing, but it wasn't a bad thing either. Soon, they were right above Terredepaix. They couldn't see much of it, since a lot was still covered by magic, but they could see the basic outline of the lands. At least, to the Humans. To Lord Enral and Aurenia, the lands were formed perfectly clear, since they were Elves and they had seen it before. No one could get there unless they already knew where it was. **[A/N5]**

"Lord Enral, you're on!" Aurenia yelled over her shoulder excitedly. She loved jumping down. "Kids!" Lord Enral shouted over the constant blowing of the wind. "When I say so, stand up, grab each others' hands as fast as you can, including me, excluding Charlie and Delayna, and then jump. If you let go at all, I will be there to help you, but hold tight! You will not hurt yourself when you land. Trust me." Lord Enral glanced at Charlie and his Princess. Aurenia nodded. Lord Enral turned to the teenagers.

"Get ready! Grasp each others' hands now!" The three did so obediently, Hermione holding onto Lord Enral and Ron's hand tightly. He glanced at Aurenia, who tilted her head slightly, before yelling, "NOW!" The four simultaneously stood up, letting go of the handles and were immediately blown off the dragon, even without having to jump. Aurenia smirked as she listened to Hermione scream hysterically. She remembered the first time she had done that. She had screamed. Hell, she screamed louder than Hermione at the moment. Soon, their figures faded into Terredepaix and Charlie and Aurenia were left on Saphira.

"Charlie! Get Saphira ready for descent!" Aurenia commanded. Charlie obeyed and patted Saphira's neck slightly. Saphira tossed her head back and a few ropes were revealed, hidden beneath Saphira's scales. Aurenia smiled, impressed. Charlie clasped his hands to the rope tightly, Aurenia following suit. It was much like riding a horse, except two people were riding instead of one, and they were descending to the ground. Saphira tensed up, preparing for the dive.

"I hate this," Aurenia muttered, before Saphira turned sharply, bringing them along with her down. She seemed to be doing straight downwards and her speed was incredible. Too fast.

"Slow her down, Charlie!" Aurenia shouted over the roaring wind. "She's going to have to make a smooth pull from the dive in fifteen seconds!" Charlie heeded her words, pulling on the rope slightly. His eyes glazed over for moment before returning to normal. Aurenia saw the ground first. It was green. If Saphira didn't dive properly, it would be the last color she would ever see. Moments before the inevitable fall, Aurenia squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Saphira slowed down slightly, and Aurenia waited for Saphira to curve upwards. This was the part she hated the most. It happened on every dragon landing on Terredepaix for some odd reason.

Saphira began to bend her head. Aurenia's lower lip trembled slightly as Saphira curved fully, still going at that hated speed. The immediate and almost 90-degree turn caused the Temporary Sticking Charm on the blanket to loosen, and for Aurenia to loose her grip on the rope, therefore flying backwards with the wind, and Charlie right behind her. Saphira flew onwards and into the sky, hovering above the ground as Aurenia sprawled to the ground. She was shaking, as if she was laughing.

Aurenia however, fell on Charlie, for he was behind her. She groaned in pain as she felt her back. Imagine her surprise when she felt another person's riding vest below hers. Her eyes widened in astonishment and she immediately sprung to the side, regretting so immediately. A bruise on her back ached painfully. It was, thankfully, the only formed bruise. Her body still ached horribly, even though no signs of the aches showed. She stood up reluctantly and trudged over to Charlie, holding her hand out.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized immediately. It must have been harder on him, since she fell on him in the first place. Charlie just tilted his head slightly. Seeing her hand out, he grasped it firmly before pulling himself up, careful not to pull her down with his full weight. Aurenia winced slightly, feeling her arm go out of its socket slightly before returning. _'Gruesome thought,'_ she mused to herself.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie said, giving her a tight smile. "Just a few aches that an hour's rest won't cure," he assured. At her insistence, he slung an arm over her shoulders to help him keep his balance, which had been rather lacking. He signaled for Saphira to follow overhead.

"I meant to warn you that we would fall once Saphira curved, but I had forgotten until we were rocketing downwards," Aurenia remarked guiltily. She apologized again, and he waved it off, saying he was okay. Aurenia couldn't help but worry for him. She had landed on him and she had gotten a bruise and a few scratches. He probably would've gotten more than just a bruise and a few scratches. His face had no visible mark, but his hands were quite bloodied with scratches. She turned away from his hands, frowning, but immediately brightened when she spotted the Ayra Castle up ahead. She pointed it out to Charlie, who merely grunted in acknowledgement. Apparently, he was still in a rather lot of pain. It was amazing that the two could still walk.

Aurenia looked above her and spotted a spec of blue, marking Saphira. _'Saphira, m'lady, the Ayra Castle is up ahead.'_

**Your Highness! Terredepaix is a beautiful place! The air is much cleaner than down on Earthen grounds.**

_'I'm glad you think so, my lady. It is a rather confusing fact, since Earth and Terredepaix share the same air. It must be a spell of some sort set up by an Elven ancestor.'_

**Most probably so, Your Highness. Where shall I land?**

_'You should see a tremendously large field up ahead, quite large enough for you to walk for a few paces in all directions. There are many dragon handlers there. Alert them that Charlie is coming, if you would. Charlie needs some healing for his hands.'_

**Yes, Your Majesty. If 'tis not too bold, I would like to make a remark.**

_'You are free to do so anytime, Lady Dragon.'_

**You are in need of some healing for your hands, too, as well as a bruise on your left leg.**

_'Thank you, Lady Dragon, your comment is marked.'_

**Should I announce your presence as well, Your Grace?**

_'I'd rather you not, my lady. They do not know that I introduced myself to Charlie as Delayna, and they will undoubtedly scold me for it. Tell them that Charlie came with a companion but had to rush off to do her duties, if you please. Also, let them know that Charlie is needed to be healed, by request of Princess Aurenia, and to tell Charlie that I did not request it, but Lord Enral did. It is the best way to evade him._'

**As you wish. **She felt Saphira cut off the connection as she watched the dragon land in, hopefully, the field Aurenia had described. Aurenia tugged Charlie towards the gates, where she saw Ayra guards approaching. Without saying a farewell to Charlie, she ran as fast as she could to the forests nearby, hoping her rather green-ish attire would help her blend in with the trees.

As the guards approached Charlie, ushering him forwards and into the Palace, the Weasley looked around, rather surprised that his flight companion had disappeared. When he asked what had happened to his companions, the guards simply answered that the girl, 'undoubtedly a servant', must have gone off to her duties.

Aurenia smiled secretly and opened a porte portique, Melting with the Light with a final look at Charlie. Seeing that he was in good hands, she Melted with ease, reappearing in the infirmary. Instantly, a healer came to her attention. Charlie was all the way in the other Medical Ward on the other side of the castle. She showed her hands, and the healer instantly went to work. Aurenia smiled, telling herself to give a raise to the Palace workers as soon as she could…

---

Lord Elsar was having a panic attack. Everyone in the castle knew it, or at least those that could recognize the signs. Lord Elsar was a very humorous person and brought a brighter side to the dark, shadowy Entari Palace. It was instantly felt when the mood of the castle immediately changed. It seemed that the castle's moods – yes, it had moods – appeared to reflect Lord Elsar's. Candles were flicking on and off at random points, annoying some Entaris trying to read to no ends. Stairs kept changing, which occurred only at rare times, or in this case, when Lord Elsar was having a phase of panic or nervousness.

And right now, Lord Elsar was having a panic attack.

"What am I going to say to them, Ember?" Lord Elsar said, pacing up and down, wringing his hands as Ember put the armor over the elegant, but simple silver tunic and leggings that the seamstresses from the Ayra Castle had provided for him. "Remus will undoubtedly feel betrayed and hurt. I can't stand one of my best friends being hurt. I felt bad when I sent Snape to his doom, also known as _Moony_, during our Hogwarts years and Remus felt betrayed then. That was pretty simple compared to now! I mean, I pretended to be dead! Well, not deliberately. I mean, I've pretended to be dead for… what, a year and a few weeks? Yeah. Very long if you ask me."

"No one was asking you…" Ember muttered to himself as he tugged at the armor in desperation, hoping to loosen it, as it was sticking to his tunic painfully. Elsar, not hearing him, kept on with his tirade. It was amusing at first, but when his talking grew irritating, Ember finally burst.

"Si'! Jeesh, Si'! You're going to meet them one time or another! There's no point of trying to delay the meeting. If you do, they will start to feel like they're not important to you, which I know that they are!" Ember half-shouted, still not facing his godfather. "Making such a big deal of a petty little thing like meeting your friend again. You should be happy! Be happy!" Elsar blinked.

"Be happy," Elsar echoed blankly. He always seemed to lose his wits during a panic attack. Ember didn't even blink in surprise at the change in his demeanor. Panic attacks happened whenever Aurenia was missing. It was rather interesting to watch his demeanor change from worried, to panicky, to blankness, then to wise thinking.

"Yes," Ember said slowly, nodding his head, still not turning to look at Elsar's blank face. "Now you need to leave the room while I finish up here." Elsar nodded, obliging immediately, his face going from blank to suddenly wise in a matter of seconds. Ember heard the door to his chambers close as Elsar disappeared to some place or another, undoubtedly preparing the moment he would meet with his best friend again.

"Unbelievably insane, that one, panicking over nothing," he muttered to himself. Ember didn't need to

"I believe you are the one insane, if you're talking to yourself, frère dear," said a familiar voice from behind him. He started slightly. He knew immediately who it was.

"Aure, how can you always scare me like that?" Ember asked, frowning as he tugged at the armor on his arm. It was a tradition in the Elven Royal Family that when a male was crowned, they had to wear full battle armor. Females were to wear dresses. It irked Aurenia to no end, seeing as she was very strong in her belief that females could do just as much as males could, which proved to be mostly correct. Females couldn't carry nearly as much as males, but they could certainly fight like males. Ember winced as he remembered the painful strike to the jaw Aurenia had given him when he was being particularly annoying during a political session. He was also rather… preoccupied with other matters at that time.

"It's skill, Em, pure skill," Aure said smoothly, mimicking one of his favorite quotes when he wanted to irritate her. This time, the tables turned and Ember's patience was grated to the very edge. He had grown unusually patient over the years of lessons he had, but this was ridiculous! He picked at the armor placed on his shins. They were unbelievably tight! They were a dark silver color, and covered his whole body. He had chosen separate pieces for his legs, and the only showing flesh on him was his face. Everything else was covered. The Entari emblem of a black shield with a silver 'E' in the middle overlapped by a sword, which in turn was overlapped by an arrow. Both weapons were dark silver in color, matching the armor marvelously. Weapons similar to the ones on the Entari symbol were strapped onto his waist and back. Only the shield was missing from the ensemble.

Aurenia was wearing a grand looking dress, which looked a lot more comfortable than his armor. It was a short-sleeved white gown, the symbolic color of the Ayra Elves. It had a design of golden swirls at the bottom and two swirls on the bottom of each sleeve. It was a V-neck sort of gown, one that she despised, but had to wear anyways, since the seamstresses couldn't make another gown. That was probably the reason why they didn't allow her to see it until the ceremony. The Ayra emblem, which was a pure white shooting star with a gold 'A' in the middle, was around her neck in a form of a long necklace. It reached past the vertex of her neckline. Her fingers were adorned with different rings, gifts from distant family members that were related by marriage. Her hair was held back with a purely white hair bow, which was covered with pins sent from the sixteen regions of the Ayra Elves.

"Handsome, as always," Aure complimented. Ember acknowledged it with a smile; he was still staring at himself in the mirror. "Merlin's beard, Ember, even _Aquaziora_ spends less time in front of the mirror than you! And that's saying something!" Ember shrugged in response and pulled at his hair, which was still short and quite messy. He didn't have the heart to grow it out, since it would just be a bother if he were moving around if he had to push it back.

"Beautiful, as always," Ember returned the compliment, finally turning away from the mirror. His face acquired an expression that almost made Aurenia laugh. She stifled it as best as she could. "Tell me if I seem like I'm forcing on looking comfortable, please." Aurenia nodded, not trusting her own voice, as she was about to laugh. "This armor's too tight, and if this palace wasn't so fucking cold, then I would start sweating the second I put on a segment of this shit!" Aurenia couldn't help it; she stifled her laughter as best as she could, but she couldn't stifle the unladylike snort escaping. Soon, she started laughing. She was careful to laugh 'like a lady' as Lady Arwyse had taught her. Her right white-gloved hand covered her mouth.

"Don't worry, Ember," Aurenia soothed as she lowered the hand from her lips. "Just loosen up with them. You'll be tense at first, no doubt about it, but you'll loosen up. And make sure that you don't whine all day about your armor. I'm only letting you whine on me because that's a sibling duty. C'mon, Em. We have to leave for the reunion now." Ember was very reluctant in leaving his chambers, and Aurenia had to resort to dragging him away by the ear. _'Sometimes,' _she thought, _'I have to be the mother for the two of us.'_ She thought of her real mother affectionately. _'I'm doing my best, Mum.'_ She grinned mentally at that thought. Even if her accent was more American than British, she was still British at heart, birthed by a British mother. Something she wanted to stay the same.

---

"Oi, Ron!" Fred and George called out simultaneously. Ginny glanced towards the twins and raised her eyes upwards in exasperated amusement as they neared her youngest older brother. She had arrived at the Entari Palace with Lord Enral, Hermione, and Ron earlier, Charlie following them soon behind. There was no sign of Delayna, the Elf maiden that had led them to Terredepaix along with Lord Enral. Professor Dumbledore had appeared last, and was now explaining to the rest of the people that had come from the 'Human Realm', as Aure and Harry would say, about the Palace and how to act around them during the ceremony. He also explained the traditions of the Elves and what was counted as unusual and what wasn't.

The room suddenly quieted as three people – Elves, she corrected herself – entered the room. They were all wearing long cloaks over whatever they were wearing, but their hoods were down, clearly showing their faces. Ginny beamed as she recognized the faces of Sirius, Harry, and Harry's twin, Aure. She was the first to react, throwing her arms first around Harry, then Sirius, and exchanged kisses on the cheek with Aure. Everybody followed suit soon afterwards. Ginny engaged Aure in eager conversation, yearning to know more about one of the most important female figures in Terredepaix.

"I was born in the Human Realm, actually. One of my mother's good friends was a midwife and I was birthed in my own home," Aure answered as Ginny asked about her. "Our births are the same as to those of yours, but usually, more pain is required to birth us. The midwife was a Court Lady, one you must know of. Lady Arwyse was her name. Kind woman, she was." Ginny nodded, eager to find out more. "Ember came out first." Aure scowled lightly at that point. "I came out five minutes later. My mother wasn't aware that she had twins, so she was delighted by my entrance to the world." Aure grinned. "Me and Ember started poking each other after that actually. We didn't know who the other one was at that point, since we didn't understand much of anything, and we poked at each other. My mother, not knowing that we were just curious with each other, poked at us to stop it. Of course, we just poked back at her. She was a beautiful woman. It was too bad that neither of us gained her red hair. It's gorgeous. It looks much like yours, actually." Ginny blushed at the compliment. Being compared to a woman as beautiful as Lily Potter was a great honor, according to Ginny. Elsar joined the conversation soon afterwards, his best friend in tow. Aure left the three wisely after she had met the kind Remus Lupin, knowing she was to meet many others.

She was right. As soon as she had left the conversation, Ember pulled at her elbow, causing her to stumble slightly next to him. "This is my _younger_ sister, twin," Ember said. Aure scowled at him as he emphasized 'younger'. He always _had_ to rub it in. When she turned away from Ember to face the person he was introducing her to, she blinked in surprise as she gazed into the familiar eyes of Charlie Weasley. He was tall, she had to give him that. He was tall enough that she had to lean her head slightly to get a good look at his face.

"Aurenia, it's a pleasure," she said, smiling brightly and holding her hand out. Instead of the awkward handshake as before, Charlie had kissed her delicate hand softly, smiling.

"Charlie Weasley," he answered. He frowned, his eyebrows creasing. "No means to be rude, Your Highness, but have I seen you before?" he asked. Aure chuckled slightly, extracting her hand slowly, not knowing how to answer. She settled for the truth.

"Ah, yes, I believe you have!" Aure said, pretending to think on the matter. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I was 'Delayna' back then, if you remember." Aure grinned at his obvious shock and flustered expression. Her eyes widened as he started to apologize, cutting him off. "I didn't want to be treated like a Princess, Monsieur Weasley. Why would you think I would use the name Delayna if I wanted to be treated as a Princess?" He shrugged, looking thoughtful. "And anyhow, Delayna is my name. Human name, given to me at birth. And on my statement on myself not a Lady. A true statement. I am not a Lady, I'm a Princess!" She said, smilling her dazzling smile. The light mood was contagious, and soon, they were both laughing and talking like old friends.

Meanwhile, Ember, Elsar, and Remus were across the room, having a small family reunion. The three men, however much they denied it in future days, had tears in their eyes as they hugged each other, gripping each one in a death grip. Aurenia, who had spotted them, had a twinkle in her eye similar to that of the one Professor Dumbledore was sporting at the moment, and watched them out of the corner of her eye, some of her own tears forming. She held the tears of happiness back. There was a time for tears, and this was not the time.

Aurenia glanced at the four figures that had just entered and excused herself from Charlie and the twins, who had come over to converse with Charlie and herself earlier. Her face was grim as she walked up to them. Three were messengers and the last was Lord Entai. She walked up to Lord Entai first. She and Lord Entai had rather warm conversations. It was Ember that Lord Entai despised. Aurenia held her hand out, as was a custom for Elven Royalty, and Lord Entai bent his head to kiss it. Aurenia smiled at him, nodding her head in acknowledgement as she turned to the three messengers. They seemed… ruffled slightly. Probably on the prospect of Lord Entai being warm to someone for a change. She listened to the three messages. She frowned at all three of them, but thought that the last one was the worst. Ember joined her soon afterwards as she waved for him to come, telling the last messenger to repeat his message.

"A message for Prince Ember of Eirith, Prince of the Entaris, and Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, Princess of the Ayras from Lord Enral of Ethain. 'The troops have left Kasew, Etrivian. They are already Melting to their positions. Two minutes until the time Lord Voldemort attacks Dechtai, Etrivian. By the time this messenger reaches you, the attack has most probably started. I will send back messengers every other hour. Good luck.'" The messenger recited the message again for Lord Entai's sake. The rest of the room had heard it too, since they had quieted.

"Ginny, Ron, Hermione, I would like to ask you to leave the room for a few seconds," Dumbledore said, breaking the thoughtful silence. Ron and Ginny were about to protest, but Hermione shook her head at them and dragged them off by the elbows with her, closing the door behind them gently.

"So it has begun," Ember murmured.

"Nice of you to point out the obvious, My Liege," Lord Entai sneered, enunciating the last part in a mocking way.

"Really, Potter, I don't know how you are a leader of a whole nation," Snape agreed silkily. Lord Entai nodded in approval towards him; Snape did the same. They both smirked at each other, as if maintaining a temporary alliance to bait the Entari Prince. "Your ego couldn't take it if the Dark Lord attacked you. Your ego needs a deflating after all this. It's probably bigger than this whole room." _'Ouch,'_ Aurenia thought, wincing. Unfortunately, the thought reached Ember, and he glared at the three of them. The room was big, not much bigger than the Gryffindor Common Room, but still quite large.

"Prince Ember, I do advise that you start action immediately," Lord Entai continued. "If you go any more slower, you'll make us Entaris die."

"Lord Entai, enough," Aurenia said sharply. Lord Entai did stop, but he continued to sneer at her twin. "If we are to win this war, you two have to work together, Lord Entai, Ember. If you don't, Terredepaix will be blasted into smithereens by Lord Voldemort." Ember glared at her, and Aurenia stared stonily back.

"Lord Entai, you are the Head Spy, yes?" Professor Dumbledore asked, changing the subject entirely. Lord Entai nodded. "Severus here is one of our spies in the Order. He is also the Potions Master of Hogwarts. You are Potions Master here at Eirith, yes?" Lord Entai nodded his affirmation. "May I suggest that the two of you start getting acquainted? Perhaps teach each other what you know?" The two shrugged indifferently. Lord Entai looked to Prince Ember, reluctantly asking permission to leave, since he was the Prince of Entaris. Ember nodded stiffly and Snape and Entai left immediately, their cloaks flapping behind them. Everyone shivered involuntarily.

"That was scary," Fred muttered.

"One Snape is enough for me, thanks," George murmured in agreement.

"Professor Dumbledore, Ember's esteemed guests," Aurenia said warmly, "please take a seat. The ceremony is about to begin. Ember had the kindness to reserve seats for you in the front rows on the left side. If you could fill them?" They took seats obligingly. Aurenia forced a smile to her face.

"The ceremony will begin momentarily," she said, turning away. She and Ember glided out of the room, as was customary to appear in the middle of the ceremony, instead of standing by.

"It's starting, Ember," Aurenia murmured, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm getting scared." Ember nodded solemnly, and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Aurenia very rarely admitted she was scared.

"You would be a fool not to be," Ember whispered comfortingly, kissing the top of her head. "A downright fool."

---

**_Author's Notes:_** [6/22/04] Finally! I'm done! It took me a very long time to finish this chapter. Sorry about the long wait. Like I said in my Story Updates (located on my profile), I'm going on vacation. I'm leaving in 45 minutes actually. I had to rush to finish up this story.

When I get back, I'll be working on the story for a full week on editing the whole thing to match up with this chapter. My ideas are all jumbled and I'm planning to set them straight. I'll be writing a note on the editions very soon.

Hopefully, I'll get to finish Chapter Two while I'm on the trip. I'll talk to everyone of you very soon!

Au revoir!

Many Thanks To: **athenakitty** (_see for yourself! :P_), **pingpong5** (_I had to rush out the last part, since I didn't have time. It'll get better as soon as I find more time to edit it. I'll be back! E-mail me! :)_), **Naia** (_Thank you for the French tips. I've already edited them in the file, but I have yet to upload the new one. Thanks again!_), **uten** (_Yes, favor is tipped towards Voldemort at the moment. It'll tip the other way soon. You'll just have to wait and see!_), **I-want-to-fly**, and **crazyNproud**.

Hoping to see some more reviews when I get back. Let me know what you think! No, I don't have a beta. If anyone is offering, I'll take it, but if no one, I'll last.

Jeni Black

[7/4/04 added after trip -- I'm back! Happy Independence Day to all Americans out there!]

**[A/N1]** The words 'porte portique' is roughly translated to 'portal door', and Terredeguerre, when taken apart is 'terre de guerre', meaning 'land of war'. These I had to get by using a translator. Horrible things, they are. I prefer Ana better, but I can't exactly call her in France from America...

**[A/N2]** Delayna Liathane Potter is a more Elven-esque name, but Delayna is in honor of my favorite now dead cousin. Like said earlier in the story, every living being has an Elven name. Most have yet to find theirs though, for only other elves are able to tell them.

**[A/N3]** Athane the Great was one of the greatest Ayra rulers of Terredepaix. Back in the older days, Ayras were considered less powerful than the Entaris when it came to ruling. Athane had overpowered her brother when he had turned to his evil ways and found a way to replace him peacefully with her husband, now the famous Eclion the Bold. More on this in the Side Story...

**[A/N4]** As to this fact, Terredepaix, to humans, is just a great pile of random clouds, unless they know it's there. Planes pass right through it. This particular spell was set up quite a few centuries ago, by the Royals, Court Nobles, and most powerful Casters. Again, more on this in the Side Story.

**[A/N5]** I got this little idea from Pirates of the Caribbean. Hope you don't mind, dolls...

Heh, sorry, I forgot about this last time.


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